Unique susceptibility of patients with antibody deficiency to mycoplasma infection.
Patients with congenital or acquired disorders of antibody production suffer from a wide variety of infections. They are most often bacterial and due to Haemophilus influenzae or Streptococcus pneumoniae. Chronic pulmonary disease accounts for most of the deaths. While non-urogenital tract infections due to Ureaplasma urealyticum or other mycoplasmas are unusual in individuals with normal resistance, patients with antibody deficiency demonstrate a unique susceptibility. With increasing frequency, patients with impaired humoral immunity have been shown to have a mycoplasmal infection that results in pneumonitis, sinusitis, cystitis, arthritis, osteomyelitis, or cellulitis. The mycoplasmas may be responsible for chronic sinopulmonary disease in a majority of such patients. Awareness of the role these organisms play in causing infection in antibody-deficient patients and the institution of appropriate antibiotic therapy will contribute to an improvement in clinical outcome.
Department of Pediatrics, National Jewish Center for Immunology and Respiratory Medicine, Denver, Colorado 80224.
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Gelfand
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D001402:B-Lymphocytes / Q000276:immunology; D002454:Cell Differentiation; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D006801:Humans; D016756:Immunoglobulins, Intravenous / Q000627:therapeutic use; D007153:Immunologic Deficiency Syndromes / Q000150:complications* / Q000628:therapy; D007223:Infant; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D007234:Infant, Premature; D009175:Mycoplasma Infections / Q000209:etiology* / Q000628:therapy; D011019:Pneumonia, Mycoplasma / Q000209:etiology / Q000628:therapy; D016869:Ureaplasma Infections / Q000209:etiology; D016990:Ureaplasma urealyticum
D016756:Immunoglobulins, Intravenous