Can anyone explain to me why Goodpasture's Syndrome is
classified as a Type II hypersensitivity disease? The
classical definition for Type II reactions is that they are
due to antibodies directed toward cell surface antigens.
The pathogenesis of Goodpastures is always described as
being due to antibodies directed toward basement membrane
antigens (renal and pulmonary), resulting in the lung in
hemorrhage and in the kidney in glomerulonephritis. I am
always amazed that textbooks can then classify Goodpasture's
as a Type II disease without any attempt to present it as an
exception or to explain the apparent discrepancy. In the
kidney, at least, and I suspect in the lung, the
pathogenesis sounds much more like a Type III reaction
(tissue injury and inflammation due to activation of
complement at the site of Ag-Ab complexes) than like a Type
II reaction.
Any ideas? Thanks!!
Jerry Bartlett
Department of Pathology
U of IL @ Chicago, Coll Med @ Peoria
Reply u56149 at uicvm.cc.uic.edu
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