Suppression of interferon response in lymphocytes from patients with uremia

The absence of interferon in specimens of brain tissue from a patient with renal failure who died with St. Louis encephalitis suggested possible suppression of interferon production in patients with uremia. Studies were initiated to determine: (1) the effect of serum from patients with renal failure on interferon production by lymphocytes from normal subjects stimulated in vitro with Newcastle disease virus, and (2) if lymphocytes from uremic patients stimulated with Newcastle disease virus would produce interferon. Lymphocytes from 15 young healthy adults and 15 uremic patients were incubated in normal and uremic serum. Newcastle disease virus was employed as the interferon inducer. The geometric mean values of interferon produced by normal lymphocytes incubated in normal and uremic serum were 160 and 29.9 culture-protective units (CPUs) per milliliter, respectively. Lymphocytes from only one uremic patient (serum creatinine 3.6 mg. per 100 ml.) produced detectable interferon (10 CPUs) when his lymphocytes were incubated in autologous serum. Interferon production by lymphocytes from 6 uremic patients was partially improved by incubation in homologous normal serum. Suppression of interferon production by uremic lymphocytes was not improved after peritoneal dialysis in one patient or after hemodialysis in 3 patients, but the depression of interferon production was completely reversible in one patient after recovery from acute renal failure.