Transfer Factor: an Overlooked Potential for the Prevention and Treatment of Infectious Diseases

Transfer factor (TF) is a low-molecular-weight lymphocyte extract capable of transferring antigen-specific cell-mediated immunity (CMI) to T lymphocytes. It has been used successfully as an adjuvant or primary therapy for viral, parasitic, fungal, and some bacterial infections, as well as immunodeficiencies, neoplasias, allergies and autoimmune diseases. From the list of infections that seem to respond noticeably to transfer factor, those due to viruses of the herpes family are particularly remarkable. Indeed, for these viruses it was shown that TF can prevent infection or relapse, acting as a CMI vaccine. Data also suggest its possible use for adjuvant treatment and probably prevention of two currently widespread infections: tuberculosis and AIDS. Furthermore, TF has an interesting potential: answering the challenge from unknown pathogenic agents, a black box effect permitting production of antigen-specific TF to a new pathogen, even before its identification. It thus seems that the preventative potential of transfer factor is as important as its therapeutic one, both discussed in this review

In vitro studies during long-term oral administration of specific transfer factor

153 patients suffering from recurrent pathologies, i.e. viral infections (keratitis, keratouveitis, genital and labial herpes) uveitis, cystitis, and candidiasis were treated with in vitro produced transfer factor (TF) specific for HSV-1/2, CMV and Candida albicans. The cell-mediated immunity of seropositive patients to HSV-1/2 and/or CMV viruses was assessed using the leucocyte migration inhibition test (LMT) and lymphocyte stimulation test (LST) in presence of the corresponding antigens, and the frequency of positive tests before, during and after TF administration was studied. The data were stratified per type of test, antigen and the recipients' pathology, and statistically evaluated. For the LMT, a total of 960 tests were carried out for each antigen dilution, 3 different antigen dilutions were used per test. 240/960 tests (25.4%) were found positive during non-treatment or treatment with unspecific TF, whereas 147/346 tests (42.5%) were found positive when the antigen corresponding to the specificity of the TF administered to the patient was used (P < 0.001). When the data were stratified following pathology, a significant increased incidence of positive tests during specific treatment was also observed (0.0001 < P < 0.05). In the LST (1174 tests), a significant increase of thymidine uptake was observed in the absence of antigen (control cultures), during treatment with both specific and unspecific TF, but also in the presence of antigen and/or autologous serum during specific TF administration (P < 0.0001). TF administration also significantly increased the soluble HLA class I antigens level in 40 patients studied to this effect

Orally adiministered HSV-specific transfer cator (TF) prevent genital or labial herpes relapses

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