Anaphylactoid reactions due to non-immune complex serum protein aggregates.

The infusion of aggregate-containing i.v. human gamma-globulin as well as human serum albumin can lead to severe anaphylactoid reactions with decrease in mean arterial pressure, increase in pulmonary artery pressure and decrease in cardiac output in unsensitized dogs, while the deaggregated solutions are well tolerated. During these anaphylactoid reactions, no significant changes in the serum complement activity of the dogs were observed. In clinical human serum albumin incompatibility, stimulation with albumin aggregates led to a high response in the lymphocyte culture, whereas deaggregated albumin had no stimulatory effect. By deaggregation of horse anti-human lymphocyte globulin prior to clinical administration, the compatibility of ALG therapy was improved.