Proliferative and interferon responses by peripheral blood mononuclear cells after bone marrow transplantation in humans.

The capacity of peripheral blood mononuclear cells from bone marrow transplant recipients to proliferate and produce interferon in response to mitogens and specific antigens was tested. Proliferation in response to phytohemagglutinin or pokeweed mitogen occurred in cells from more than 90% of the recipients, and interferon was present in 60 to 70% of the supernatants from these cultures, even when tested as soon as 8 weeks after transplantation. Proliferation in response to bacterial antigens was infrequent, and interferon release was not detected. In the early post-transplantation period (less than 13 weeks), cells from only two of four cytomegalovirus (CMV) antibody-positive patients proliferated normally in response to CMV antigen and interferon release was detected only once. In the late post-transplantation period (more than 13 weeks), in only two of five instances did cells proliferating in response to CMV antigen release interferon. The response to CMV antigen of mononuclear cells from many transplant recipients differs from that of cells from normal controls.