Survey of the use and clinical effectiveness of HPA-1a/5b-negative platelet concentrates in proven or suspected platelet alloimmunization

The optimal treatment of neonatal alloimmune thrombocytopenia (NAIT) is the transfusion of compatible donor platelets. The National Blood Service in England has established panels of "accredited" donors negative for human platelet antigens HPA-1a and HPA-5b, the most commonly implicated alloantigens. We have retrospectively surveyed the frequency of use and clinical effectiveness of donations collected over a 13-month period from the Oxford accredited panel. Ninety-five per cent of hyperconcentrated platelets (HPCs) collected were issued, all for intrauterine transfusion to fetuses at risk of NAIT due to the presence of maternal platelet alloantibodies and previously affected siblings. Thirty-one per cent of paediatric platelet concentrates (PPCs) collected were issued, of which 57% were used for cases of suspected NAIT. Fifty-four per cent of adult therapeutic doses collected were issued; 5% of these were used in cases of suspected NAIT or proven post-transfusion purpura (PTP). Good increments were seen in most NAIT cases transfused with HPCs or PPCs, and a moderate increment in the one PTP case. We conclude that the establishment of accredited panels is justified and enables delivery of a clinically effective treatment for NAIT. Increased use and cost-effectiveness could be achieved by the delivery of an educational programme to neonatal unit clinical staff to increase the awareness and appropriate treatment of NAIT.     

New platelet glycoprotein polymorphisms causing maternal immunization and neonatal alloimmune thrombocytopenia

BACKGROUND: Maternal immunization against low‐frequency, platelet (PLT)‐specific antigens is being recognized with increasing frequency as a cause of neonatal alloimmune thrombocytopenia (NAIT). STUDY DESIGN AND METHODS: Serologic and molecular studies were performed on PLTs and DNA from two families in which an infant was born with severe thrombocytopenia not attributable to maternal immunization against known PLT‐specific alloantigens. RESULTS: Antibodies reactive only with paternal PLTs were identified in each mother using flow cytometry and solid‐phase assays. Unique mutations encoding amino acid substitutions K164T in glycoprotein (GP)IIb (Case 1) and R622W in GPIIIa (Case 2) were identified in paternal DNA and in DNA from the affected infants. Each maternal antibody recognized recombinant GPIIb/IIIa mutated to contain the polymorphisms identified in the corresponding father. None of 100 unselected normal subjects possessed these paternal mutations. CONCLUSIONS: Severe NAIT observed in the affected infants was caused by maternal immunization against previously unrecognized, low‐frequency antigens created by amino acid substitutions in GPIIb/IIIa (α_IIb/β₃ integrin). A search should be conducted for novel paternal antigens in cases of apparent NAIT not explained on the basis of maternal‐fetal incompatibility for known human PLT antigens.     

Neonatal alloimmune thrombocytopenia caused by human leucocyte antigen-B27 antibody

Neonatal alloimmune thrombocytopenia (NAIT) occurs when maternal alloantibodies to antigens presented on foetal platelets cause their immune destruction. Whether human leucocyte antigen (HLA) antibodies can cause NAIT is controversial. Here, a patient was described who suffered from a NAIT caused by an HLA-B27 antibody. Sera from the mother and the newborn were tested for human platelet antigen antibodies and HLA antibodies by monoclonal antibody-specific immobilization of platelet antigens (MAIPA) assay, solid phase-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA), lymphocytotoxicity assay (LCT) and flow cytometric analysis. No antibodies against cluster designation (CD)109 and platelet glycoproteins of the father were found in patient's and mother's serum. However, HLA ELISA was used to identify HLA antibody in both sera. The antibody was specified as HLA-B27 antibody. Typing results showed that the father descended HLA-B27 antigen on patient and his brother. The mother was HLA-B27 negative. It is most conceivable that the previous pregnancy of the mother induced the production of anti-HLA-B27 antibody, which crossed the placenta and subsequently caused an NAIT in the case presented.     

Serologic analysis of three cases of neonatal alloimmune thrombocytopenia associated with HLA antibodies

BACKGROUND: Neonatal alloimmune thrombocytopenia (NAIT) is caused when maternal alloantibodies react with paternally inherited antigens present on the fetal PLTs, a reaction mainly due to antibodies against human PLT antigens. Cases in which NAIT has been caused by HLA antibodies are relatively rare. In this study, three cases of NAIT associated with HLA antibodies that occurred in a 1-year period are reported. STUDY DESIGN AND METHODS: The presence of HLA antibodies in these three NAIT case studies was elucidated by examining reactions of the neonatal and maternal sera with lymphocytes, PLTs, and beads from an HLA antibody screening test (FlowPRA, One Lambda Inc.). Absorption and elution tests with paternal cells were also conducted. In addition, the influence of titer and specificity of HLA antibodies on NAIT was analyzed in light of 24 other documented cases in Japan. RESULTS: In the three case studies presented herein, antibodies against human PLT antigens were found in neither the maternal nor neonatal sera, while specific HLA antibodies were identified in both sera. Absorption of maternal serum with paternal PLTs eliminated the reactivity against paternal PLTs and lymphocytes. CONCLUSION: Transplacental passage of maternal HLA antibodies was observed in the three neonates cited in the present study.     

Neonatal alloimmune thrombocytopenia.

Neonatal alloimmune thrombocytopenia (NAIT) can occur when a mother is immunized against fetal platelet antigens inherited from the father. Early diagnosis and appropriate platelet transfusion therapy are essential to prevent life-threatening intracranial hemorrhage in the thrombocytopenic fetus or neonate. Five major human platelet antigen (HPA) systems are capable of causing this disorder with HPA-1a indicated most frequently. This article reviews the pathophysiology, clinical aspects, and management of NAIT. We also present our experience with treatment of neonates affected with this disorder.     

Implication of antibodies against human leukocyte antigen in simultaneous presentation of fetal and neonatal alloimmune thrombocytopenia and neutropenia

Fetal and neonatal alloimmune thrombocytopenia (FNAIT) and neonatal alloimmune neutropenia (NAN) are two rare complications of newborns caused by antibodies against paternal inherited antigens. Human platelet (HPA) and neutrophil antigens (HNA) are the common targets. Human leukocyte antigen (HLA) class I proteins are also expressed on platelets and neutrophils and anti-HLA antibodies have occasionally been implicated in these complications. We report a premature twin infant who presented with severe thrombocytopenia and neutropenia clinically compatible with FNAIT and NAN, from a mother with no identifiable HPA or HNA antibodies, but with very high levels of complement-fixing antibodies against paternal inherited HLA. These antibodies were also detected in the infant. HLA antibodies are commonly present in multiparous women who deliver healthy infants. They can, however, be cytotoxic and cause clinical complications after blood products transfusion (TRALI and becoming refractory to platelets transfusion) and after organ transplantation (allogeneic organ rejection).     

A possible role for the production of multiple HLA antibodies in fatal platelet transfusion refractoriness after peripheral blood progenitor cell transplantation from the mother in a patient with relapsed leukemia

BACKGROUND: There has been controversy over whether HLA alloimmunization is a risk factor for platelet (PLT) transfusion refractoriness (PTR) in hematopoietic peripheral blood progenitor cell transplantation (HPBPCT). STUDY DESIGN AND METHODS: Reported here is a boy with relapsed leukemia who developed fatal PTR after a peripheral blood progenitor cell transplantation (PBPCT) as a second HPBPCT from his mother. To elucidate the cause of PTR, a single-antigen assay (FlowPRA, One Lambda), a magnetic particles mixed passive hemagglutination test, and anti-human immunoglobulin-lymphocyte cytotoxicity test were performed on serum samples of the patient and his mother. RESULTS: Although HLA Class I antibodies were absent in his serum sample before HPBPCT, the serum sample after the first bone marrow transplantation (BMT) reacted weakly with beads coated with multiple HLA Class I molecules. After PBPCT, the positive reaction markedly increased. Although HLA-B44 antibody emerged transiently after BMT, the apparent generation of antibodies against HLA-A2 and -A24 as well as HLA-B44 occurred after PBPCT. The continuous appearance of HLA Class I antibodies coincided with the duration of marked PTR after PBPCT. The patient, however, had no antibodies against PLT-specific glycoproteins. Unidentified HLA Class I-reactive antibodies were detected in maternal serum sample. CONCLUSION: Although the patient appeared to be immunized to allogeneic HLA Class I molecules after BMT, profound HLA alloimmunization might have occurred after PBPCT in this case. It is possible that the administration of large numbers of immunocompetent cells sensitive to alloantigens at PBPCT causes the aberrant and persistent production of the HLA Class I antibodies.     

Detection and identification of platelet antibodies in clinical disorders.

Serologic assays to detect and identify platelet-reactive antibodies have progressed from less sensitive and specific Phase I tests based on platelet functional endpoints through more sensitive Phase II assays that detect platelet-associated immunoglobulins, to highly specific Phase III assays that detect antibodies bound to alloantigens located on isolated platelet surface glycoproteins. Phase II and III assays are useful in the evaluation of patients with suspected platelet alloimmune syndromes neonatal alloimmune thrombocytopenia (NATP) and post-transfusion purpura (PTP) as well as in platelet crossmatching. Flow cytometry, a Phase II assay, can be modified to detect drug-dependent platelet-reactive antibodies. 14C-serotonin release, a Phase I assay and the platelet factor 4 ELISA, a Phase III assay, are now used to diagnose patients with heparin-induced thrombocytopenia (HIT). A sufficiently sensitive and specific assay to diagnose idiopathic (autoimmune) thrombocytopenia (ITP) remains elusive.     

Acute non‐hemolytic transfusion reactions and HLA class I antibody: advantages of solid phase assay compared with conventional complement‐dependent assay

To evaluate the specific reactivity of HLA Class I antibodies (HLA‐I Abs) in acute non‐hemolytic transfusion reactions (ANHTRs) using solid phase assays (SPAs) and conventional complement‐dependent lymphocyte cytotoxicity test (LCT). ANHTRs are major issues in transfusion medicine. Anti‐leukocyte antibodies have been implicated as one of the causative agents of transfusion‐related acute lung injury (TRALI) and febrile reaction. Antibodies to HLA Class I and/or Class II (HLA Abs) have been intensively studied using SPAs for TRALI, but not for febrile reaction. About 107 patients and 186 donors associated with ANHTRs were screened for HLA Abs by SPAs such as enzyme‐linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) and the Luminex method. When HLA‐I Ab was detected, its specific reactivity was evaluated by comparing its specificity identified by the Luminex method using recombinant HLA molecules and cognate HLA antigens (Ags), as well as LCT with or without anti‐human globulin (AHG). The incidences of HLA Abs were as high as 32·7% of patients' serum samples and 16% of donors' serum samples. The incidence of HLA‐I Abs did not differ significantly between cases of febrile and allergic reactions. However, HLA‐I Abs associated with febrile reaction showed a significantly higher rate of possessing specific reactivity to cognate HLA Ags than those associated with allergic reactions. In addition, the Luminex method enabled the detection of HLA‐I Abs much earlier than AHG‐LCT in serum samples from a patient with febrile reaction and platelet transfusion refractoriness (PTR). SPAs seem more useful than AHG‐LCT for evaluating reactivity of antibodies in ANHTR cases.     

The first case of alloantibody against human platelet antigen‐15b in Japan: possible alloimmunization by a hydatidiform mole

BACKGROUND: The involvement of the human platelet antigen (HPA)‐15 system in neonatal alloimmune thrombocytopenia (NAIT) has been reported in various populations, but not in the Japanese population. In Japan, the mixed passive hemagglutination assay (MPHA) is used for detection of HPA alloantibodies. However, most of the reported cases of HPA‐15 incompatibility are based on the monoclonal antibody immobilization of platelet antigen (MAIPA) assay or immunoprecipitation; thus there is a possibility that HPA‐15 alloantibodies are not efficiently detected by the MPHA, and currently, the causative antibody is not detectable in approximately half of the suspected NAIT cases in Japan. STUDY DESIGN AND METHODS: We examined the sera of mothers from NAIT cases, previously with undetected HPA antibodies by MPHA, using the MAIPA technique. Sera from 90 mothers of suspected NAIT were tested by MAIPA for the presence of anti‐HPA‐15 alloantibodies. RESULTS: Anti‐HPA‐15b was detected in one case. This case was a mother in the first pregnancy diagnosed as hydatid mole–coexisting fetus, and the baby was born with suspected NAIT. The familial analysis revealed compatibility of HPA‐15 genotype between the mother and the baby (both HPA‐15a/a), but incompatibility with the paternal one (HPA‐15a/b). The hydatid mole's tissue was genotyped as HPA‐15b positive. Besides anti‐HPA‐15b, maternal sera contain strong HLA Class I antibody CONCLUSIONS: Here we reported the first case of anti‐HPA‐15 in Japan. Alloimmunization against the hydatid mole seems to be responsible for the production of HPA‐15b alloantibody. This antibody, however, did not apparently involve in the development of NAIT of the newborn, the coexisting anti‐HLA Class I being the possible cause.     

血小板输注无效患者血小板同种抗体及血小板特异性糖蛋白抗体表达的研究

目的 探讨血小板输注无效与血小板同种抗原或血小板特异性抗原的相关性.方法 选择65例临床确诊血小板输注无效患者作为研究对象,应用酶联免疫吸附实验(ELISA)方法检测血清、血小板洗脱液中血小板特异性抗体;应用HLA抗体特异性检测试剂盒,对组合反应性抗体(PRA)阳性的患者进行HLA抗体特异性分析;用HPA分型试剂盒检测8个血小板同种抗原系统HPA-1、2、3、4、5、6、9、15;用HLA分型试剂盒对HLA-A/B抗原进行基因分型.结果 65例患者HLA-A/B抗原,HPA-1、2、4、5、6、9、15抗原的基因频率分布与健康献血员比较差异无统计学意义.HPA-3a、3b抗原频率分别为0.65、0.35,与健康献血员比较差异有统计学意义(P＜0.05).65例患者中HLA抗体单独阳性24例(36.9%),HLA抗体和血小板特异性糖蛋白抗体共同阳性14例(21.5%);HLA抗体和血小板洗脱液特异性糖蛋白抗体共同阳性6例(9.2%),血小板洗脱液特异性糖蛋白抗体阳性13例(20%),HLA抗体、血小板特异性糖蛋白抗体及血小板洗脱液特异性糖蛋白抗体共同阳性4例(6.2%);HLA-A/B特异性抗体中,HLA-A*9抗体占全部抗体的46.2%,HLA-B*40抗体占33.6%.血清血小板特异性抗体以GPⅡb/Ⅲa为主(26.2%),其次为GP Ⅰa/Ⅱa(21.5%),血小板洗脱液中,血小板特异性抗体以GPⅡb/Ⅲa和GP Ⅰb/Ⅸ为主(41.5%).对2例患者进行了遗传学调查,发现产生的血小板特异性糖蛋白抗体和HLA抗体与父母血小板抗原及HLA抗原不相合呈密切相关.结论 血小板输注无效患者中,HLA抗体占主要地位,其次为血小板特异性糖蛋白抗体.     

Establishment of platelet donor registry improves the treatment of platelet transfusion refractoriness in Guangzhou region of China

Platelet transfusion refractoriness (PTR) is the major complication of long‐term platelet supportive care. To improve the effectiveness of platelet transfusion therapy in PTR patients, we aimed to establish a platelet donor registry in our region (Guangzhou, China) by typing the human leukocyte antigen (HLA) and human platelet antigen (HPA). Blood donors (n = 864) from our population were genotyped for HLA‐A, HLA‐B and HPA systems by polymerase chain reaction amplification with sequence‐specific primer(PCR‐SSP) techniques. Using this cohort, we compared the results of platelet transfusions (matched vs. random) in 23 patients with PTR. Matched platelets were selected either by HLA antigen matching or by HLA antibody matching, as predicted by antibody specificity prediction (ASP) analysis. Significantly higher platelet recovery (PPR) values were obtained with HLA‐matched platelets in comparison with random platelets. No significant difference in PPR was observed between HLA matching and ASP methods. In two patients, platelet‐specific alloantibodies (alloabs) (anti‐HPA‐3b and anti‐HPA‐5b) were detected besides HLA class I alloabs. Transfusion with HLA‐ and HPA‐compatible platelets in both the patients resulted in significantly higher PPR when compared with HLA‐compatible platelet transfusion alone. In this study, we demonstrated that the establishment of an HLA‐ and HPA‐typed platelet aphaeresis donor registry is useful to improve the treatment outcome of PTR patients and to maintain a long‐term platelet transfusion strategy.     

Fatal alloimmune thrombocytopenia due to anti-HLA alloimmunization in a twin pregnancy: A very infrequent complication of assisted reproduction

The most frequently involved antigen in severe fetal and neonatal alloimmune thrombocytopenia (FNAIT) is the human platelet antigen 1a. Platelets express the HLA-A and B antigens on their membrane and some studies report that maternal anti-HLA class I antibody can also cause FNAIT. We report here a very unusual case of a first twin pregnancy produced in vitro by oocyte and semen donation where the mother developed markedly elevated HLA antibodies, in the absence of anti-platelet or anti-neutrophil antibodies, that provoked in one of the twins a profound thrombocytopenia and intracranial hemorrhage and a mild thrombocytopenia and neutropenia in the second twin lasting until the fourth month of life. In addition, anti-D alloimmunization provoked hemolytic disease of the newborn with intrauterus anemia detected in the first twin and post-natal anemia in the second twin that required red blood cell transfusion and phototherapy. We hypothesize that the complete HLA-incompatible twin pregnancy due to the oocyte donation might have contributed to the severity of the clinical manifestations.     

Platelet Immunology in China: Research and Clinical Applications

Immunization against human platelet alloantigens (HPAs) is associated with a number of clinical complications. The detection and identification of clinically relevant platelet antibodies are important for the diagnosis and management of patients affected with immune-mediated thrombocytopenias. Human platelet alloantigen frequencies and the characteristics of antiplatelet antibodies vary widely between ethnic groups. Since 2008, the importance of platelet immunology in the field of transfusion medicine has gained greater recognition by clinical laboratories in China. Laboratories in China have established and improved methods for platelet antibody detection and HPA genotyping techniques, which are used for the diagnosis of alloimmune platelet disorders in clinic and research environments. Research has revealed the frequencies of HPA alleles in different Chinese ethnic groups and compared the differences in HPA gene frequencies between the Chinese Han and other ethnic groups of the world. Production of anti-CD36 isoantibodies is an important risk factor for immune-mediated thrombocytopenia in the Chinese population. Advances in research and clinical application of platelet immunology have significantly improved the clinical diagnosis, treatment including transfusion support, and prevention of alloimmune platelet disorders in the Chinese population.     

Gene frequencies of eight human platelet-specific antigens in Koreans

Human platelet-specific antigens (HPAs) are found on platelet membrane glycoproteins and are the target of platelet alloantibodies that mediate platelet destruction in neonatal alloimmune thrombocytopenia (NAIT), post-transfusion purpura (PTP) and refractoriness to platelet transfusion therapy. The biallelic polymorphism of all HPA systems is known to be due to a substitution of a single base pair. This study was performed to investigate the frequency of the HPA genes in Koreans, based on these substitutions. The genotypes of eight HPA systems were determined by polymerase chain reaction using sequence-specific primers (PCR–SSP) for HPA-1, -2, -4, -5, and -8 and restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP) for HPA-3, -6, and -7. The gene frequencies obtained from 200 unrelated Koreans were 0.99 and 0.01 for HPA-1a and -1b, 0.92 and 0.08 for HPA-2a and -2b, 0.55 and 0.45 for HPA-3a and -3b, 0.99 and 0.01 for HPA-4a and -4b, 0.98 and 0.02 for HPA-5a and -5b, and 0.98 and 0.02 for HPA-6a and -6b. All the individuals tested were homozygotes for HPA-7a and HPA-8a. It has been reported that the HPA-1b antigen is extremely rare (less than 0.3%) in Oriental populations, but this study suggests that the frequency of this antigen in Koreans (2.0%) is higher than in Japanese and Chinese populations.     

Research Progress of Platelet Transfusion in China

Platelet products have been increasingly used for more than 50 years. Platelet transfusion is effective for correcting bleeding caused by thrombocytopenia and platelet function defects. In this review, we will outline research on platelet transfusion in China including platelet biosafety, cryopreservation of platelets, the assessment of the effectiveness of platelet transfusion, the causes of platelet transfusion refractoriness including immunization against CD36, and neonatal alloimmune thrombocytopenia.     

Neonatal thrombocytopenia in two of six human platelet alloantigen (HPA) 5a-positive children of an HPA-5a-immunized mother

We describe a human platelet alloantigen (HPA) 5a-alloimmunized HPA-5b5b mother. The children were obligatory heterozygotes for HPA-5a but despite IgG class maternal anti-HPA-5a antibodies only two (second and fifth) of the six children developed neonatal thrombocytopenia. Throughout the 4-year follow-up the mother had anti-HPA-5a antibodies (confirmed in the 8th Platelet serology workshop of International Society of Blood Transfusion in 1996). Antibodies against glycoproteins (GP) IIbIIIa or IbIX were not detected. Differences in the children's HPA type (HPA-1, -2, -3, -5) did not correlate with thrombocytopenia. We hypothesized that different expression of GPIaIIa recently associated with two silent polymorphisms (C807T and G873A) of GPIa could explain the unpredictable recurrence pattern of neonatal alloimmune thrombocytopenia (NAIT). Both parents were homozygous for the silent polymorphisms (C807 and G873) associated with the low expression of GP Ia. Thus, the inheritance pattern of the silent polymorphisms (C807T and G873A) did not help in predicting the recurrence risk of thrombocytopenia in the offspring. More detailed comprehension of the natural history of NAIT would be necessary to enable directing fetal blood sampling to the cases at the highest risk of thrombocytopenia.     

Maternal immunization to Gov system alloantigens on human platelets

BACKGROUND: Immunization to platelet alloantigens can occur during pregnancy or after the transfusion of blood components. Platelet alloantibodies can cause neonatal alloimmune thrombocytopenia and posttransfusion purpura. Transfusion-induced alloimmunization to a novel platelet alloantigen system, Gov, expressed on the 175-kDa glycosyl phosphatidylinositol-anchored platelet glycoprotein, CD109, was previously described. This report describes three unrelated patients who were alloimmunized to Gov(a) or Gov(b) during pregnancy. STUDY DESIGN AND METHODS: Platelets were typed by using radioimmunoprecipitation for HPA-1a, -3a, -5a, -5b, Gov(a), and Gov(b) and by polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism for HPA-1a, -1b, -3a, and -3b. Maternal sera were screened for platelet antibodies by using radioimmunoprecipitation and the antigen capture assay. RESULTS: Patients 1 and 2 were investigated after the diagnosis of neonatal alloimmune thrombocytopenia in their children, and alloantibodies specific for Gov(b) and Gov(a), respectively, were detected in maternal serum. Serum from patient 3, who had mild idiopathic thrombocytopenia purpura with no detectable autoantibody, was found to contain alloantibodies to Gov(b) and to HPA- 5b, presumably as a result of immunization during pregnancy. Platelet typings confirmed that the patients were at risk for alloimmunization to the respective antigen. CONCLUSION: This report of three cases of maternal alloimmunization to antigens in the Gov system indicates that immunization can occur via placental transfer of antigen and that Gov system alloantibodies may be associated with neonatal alloimmune thrombocytopenia.     

人类血小板同种抗原研究进展

人类血小板同种抗原（human platelet alloantigens, HPA）是由血小板糖蛋白携带的一类特异性抗原，其基因具有单核苷酸多态性（SNP）。HPA可介导同种抗体的产生，引起同种免疫反应，与输血后血小板减少性紫癜（PTP）、血小板输注无效（PTR），新生儿同种免疫血小板减少性紫癜（NAITP）及移植排斥密切相关。因其在临床输血实践及相关疾病中的重要作用，而备受关注。本文就HPA抗原的命名、血小板糖蛋白多态性、HPA检测方法、血小板同种免疫反应机制以及相关疾病研究进展作一综述。