title: Complement deficiency and disease.
abstract: Complement deficiency is associated with an increased prevalence of pyogenic infections and immune complex disease. The spectrum of disease in deficient individuals depends on the stage in the complement system at which the block in activation occurs. Here, Paul Morgan and Mark Walport review current knowledge of hereditary complement deficiencies in humans, emphasizing the importance of these 'experiments of nature' in defining the roles of complement in vivo.
authors.affiliation: Dept of Medical Biochemistry, University of Wales College of Medicine, Cardiff, UK.
authors.forename: B P
authors.initials: BP
authors.lastname: Morgan
authors.forename: M J
authors.initials: MJ
authors.lastname: Walport
mesh_terms: D001424:Bacterial Infections / Q000209:etiology*; D003165:Complement System Proteins / Q000172:deficiency* / Q000235:genetics; D006801:Humans; D007105:Immune Complex Diseases / Q000209:etiology*
chemical_list: D003165:Complement System Proteins