[Immunoadsorption using Staphylococcus aureus, COWAN I strain].

Immunoadsorbents bind immunoglobulins, immunocomplexes or immunocytes. Their clinical use could become a new therapeutic principle for diseases in the pathogenesis of which antibodies or immunocomplexes play an important part. Immunoadsorbents are also being tested in the hope that they can at least partially replace the plasmapheresis-plasma exchange therapy at present practised. A report is given on in-vitro studies using protein-A-bearing staphylococci, strain COWAN I. The bacteria bind IgG selectively, IgM to a small extent, IgA, IgD and IgE hardly. The majority of the other plasma proteins tested (e.g. albumin, transferrin, ceruloplasmin, alpha-2-macroglobulin, beta-lipoprotein, alpha-2-glycoprotein, alpha-1-antitrypsin) are bound only non-specifically and in small quantities. The staphylococci can react with acid solutions (glycin-HCl buffer, acetic acid) in several ways. The activation of the complement system by IgG binding to protein A is one of the problems to be solved before immunoadsorbents an be used clinically.