Serum Sickness and Immune Complexes

The article by Lawley et al. 1 in this issue of the Journal provides an excellent description of the clinical and immunologic features of serum sickness in patients with bone-marrow failure who received antithymocyte globulin in horse serum. This group of patients, similar to those described by von Pirquet and Schick in 1905, 2 acquired fever, skin lesions, arthralgias, lymphadenopathy, gastrointestinal symptoms, and mild proteinuria 8 to 13 days after beginning therapy. The relation of the formation of immune complexes to the development of clinical manifestations in these patients is well documented. A rise in the level of immune complexes was accompanied . . .