DOI: 10.4103/jpcc.jpcc_52_26 ISSN: 2349-6592
Serological interference after intravenous immunoglobulin administration in a 4-year-old patient: A case report
Oscar Horacio Gómez Lund, Maria Evangelina BobbioAbstract
Intravenous immunoglobulin (IVIG) can passively introduce donor immunoglobulin G, producing transient false-positive serologies that complicate diagnosis and management. We report a 4-year-old with presumed immune-mediated encephalitis who developed multiple reactive serologies (hepatitis B virus, Epstein–Barr virus) after IVIG; subsequent reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction testing was repeatedly negative, confirming spurious results from passive antibody transfer. Clinicians should anticipate this interference, document recent IVIG on laboratory requisitions, and use molecular assays to confirm active infection before altering therapy, ordering invasive tests, or causing undue family anxiety.