Salivary and serum immunoglobulins in recipients of transplanted allogeneic and autologous bone marrow.

Significantly decreased levels of all classes Ig were found in saliva and serum of 85 patients before and up to 5 years after bone marrow transplantation (BMT). Salivary levels of IgG were increased before BMT in patients that died shortly after transplantation (p = 0.04). Significantly higher secretory IgA (sIgA) levels in saliva were noted in patients with malignant disorders than in those with non-malignant diseases, both before (p = 0.007) and after BMT (p = 0.011). Recipients of autologous marrow had higher levels of salivary sIgA before BMT than recipients of allogeneic bone marrow (p = 0.020). With increased BM cell dose at transplantation, lower levels of salivary IgG and albumin were found. Patients with cytomegalovirus infections after transplantation showed increased salivary IgG levels (p = 0.029). Individuals with chronic GVHD had less salivary IgM one year after BMT (median value 3.2 mg/l, p = 0.04) than those without chronic GVHD (median value 42.6 mg/l). All Ig classes in serum were decreased directly after BMT and later normalized. Salivary levels of all Ig classes except IgD fluctuated post-BMT.