Serum opsonic activity in splenectomized Hodgkin's disease patients.

Overwhelming infection represents a significant hazard in patients following splenectomy or in functional asplenia due to a variety of disorders. Defects in the alternative complement pathway (ACP) activity have been suggested in several of these disorders. In the present study, nonspecific opsonic activiaty in Hodgkin's disease patients was investigated at various intervals post-splenectomy. A few patients were evaluated prior to surgery. This activity was measured indirectly by PMN chemiluminescence (CL) produced as the leukocytes phagocytize opsonized sera from patients and controls. ACP opsonic activity as measured by the CL produced was slightly depressed 10-31 days postoperatively but usually returned to normal levels one month after surgery in adults. In three adolescent patients, decreased opsonic activity persisted. No such depression was evident in non-chelated sera. Factor B and IgM levels did not correlate with the depressed activity. These data suggest that nonspecific opsonic activity of the ACP is transiently decreased in Hodgkin's disease patients following splenectomy; and, component(s) other than Factor B and IgM may be responsible for this abnormality. Additional investigations are indicated, however, to confirm these trends and correlate them with the propensity to develop overwhelming post-splenectomy infections.