PRODUCTION AND CHARACTERIZATION OF A HUMAN HYPERIMMUNE INTRAVENOUS IMMUNOGLOBULIN AGAINST PSEUDOMONAS-AERUGINOSA AND KLEBSIELLA SPECIES

A hyperimmune globulin for intravenous use (H-IVIG) was prepared from the plasma of donors immunized with Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Klebsiella vaccines. H-IVIG preparations contained substantially higher IgG antibody levels to all nine P. aeruginosa vaccine antigens and to 22 of the 24 Klebsiella vaccine antigens than did commercial IVIG. The H-IVIG was more effective at promoting the opsonophagocytic killing of P. aeruginosa and Klebsiella vaccine serotype strains than normal IVIG. The H-IVIG neutralized > 20 times more toxin A than commercial IVIG. Only the H-IVIG offered significant protection against Klebsiella K2 sepsis. The H-IVIG provided significantly better protection against six of the eight P. aeruginosa vaccine serotypes than normal IVIG when compared in a murine burn wound sepsis model. The H-IVIG also protected mice against an Enterobacter aerogenes challenge, whereas normal IVIG was ineffective.