Use of Human Immune Serum Globulins
E. Richard Stiehm MD1
1 Division of Immunology/Allergy, Department of Pediatrics and Center for Interdisciplinary (CIRID), UCLA School of Medicine, Los Angeles, CA 90024
Pediatric practitioners administer 
-globulin frequently, usually following hepatitis exposure or prior to foreign travel. Administration of -globulin, or human immune serum globulin (HISG), its official name, is also indicated in several other situations.
HISG is used intermittently to prevent a specific infection in normal subjects, and it is continuously to prevent recurrent infections in immunocompromised subjects. Two types of HISG preparations are available: standard human immune serum globulin for general use and special human immune serum globulin with a known antibody content for specific illnesses (Table 1). In addition, some animal sera and antitoxins are still used for certain infections (eg, diphtheria), poisonings (eg, snake bites or botulism), or immunosuppression (eg, antilymphocyte globulin). Recently (September 81), human immune serum globulin for intravenous use has been licensed.
SOME PROPERTIES OF IMMUNOGLOBULIN G
The immunoglobulins or "-globulins" are the proteins of the plasma and tissue made in lymphoreticular tissues that have antibody activity.1 Although there are six classes of immunoglobulin—IgG, IgM, IgA, IgD, IgE, and secretory IgA—only IgG is present in significant quantities in HISG.
IgG is a glycoprotein with a molecular weight of 150,000 distributed equally between the serum and the tissues. The IgG molecule is Y-shaped with two combining sites, one at the end of each arm.
