Experimental research on the artificially induced antibody immunity in the healthy man and in the patient with liver cirrhosis

: The ability to produce antibodies against strong (S. typhosa and S. paratyphi) and weak (tetanus toxide) antigens and the consequent changes in serum IgG's, IgA's, and IgM's were compared in patients with cirrhosis of the liver and healthy controls. A significantly higher response, especially to strong antigens, was noted in the cirrhotics, while their bone marrow contained an appreciably greater number of lymphocytes and plasma cells. Increased Ig production in cirrhosis is seen as the expression of general over-production of antibodies and hence devoid of any specific relation to its immune pathogenesis. The conclusion is drawn that the liver may be in some way responsible for the regulation of antibody synthesis and that this capability is "disinhibted" in cirrhosis.