A 37-year-old woman gives birth to her third
healthy child. He is discharged from the hospital
with her at 2 days of life. For the fi rst 3
months of his life, however, his parents note
poor weight gain, chronic diarrhea, and persistent
diaper rash. Complete blood count reveals
a paucity of lymphocytes, and antibody staining
demonstrates a defi ciency of the X-linked
interleukin-2 receptor chain. The baby is diagnosed
with X-linked severe combined immunodefi
ciency (SCID). His parents are told that
the standard of care for him is a bone marrow
transplant from a major histocompatibility
complex-matched related donor. His two sisters
are tested and are not matches. His parents are
interested in exploring the option of gene therapy.
Which of the following concerns is unique
to the use of gene therapy for the treatment of
SCID?
(A) Graft-versus-host disease
(B) Increased risk of failure
(C) Increased susceptibility to viral illness in
the future
(D) Ineffi cient response to vaccines in the future
(E) Leukemia
healthy child. He is discharged from the hospital
with her at 2 days of life. For the fi rst 3
months of his life, however, his parents note
poor weight gain, chronic diarrhea, and persistent
diaper rash. Complete blood count reveals
a paucity of lymphocytes, and antibody staining
demonstrates a defi ciency of the X-linked
interleukin-2 receptor chain. The baby is diagnosed
with X-linked severe combined immunodefi
ciency (SCID). His parents are told that
the standard of care for him is a bone marrow
transplant from a major histocompatibility
complex-matched related donor. His two sisters
are tested and are not matches. His parents are
interested in exploring the option of gene therapy.
Which of the following concerns is unique
to the use of gene therapy for the treatment of
SCID?
(A) Graft-versus-host disease
(B) Increased risk of failure
(C) Increased susceptibility to viral illness in
the future
(D) Ineffi cient response to vaccines in the future
(E) Leukemia