title: Immune and inflammatory responses in sudden infant death syndrome.
abstract: Infancy is a time of unparalleled infection exposure. Coming from the privilege of the uterus, the newborn infant must make appropriate immune responses following infection that eliminates the infection but protects the host. There is evidence that in sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS) subjects there is a background of recent 'trivial' infection and immunological/inflammatory reactivity. This immunological/inflammatory reactivity is seen in enhanced pulmonary immunoglobulins and T-cell activation. It may be that in certain SIDS cases a trivial infection triggers an exaggerated inflammatory response, inducing cytokine cascades and eventual demise of the infant.
authors.affiliation: Department of Paediatrics and Child Health, Flinders University of South Australia, Flinders Medical Centre, Adelaide, Australia. kevin.forsyth@flinders.edu.au
authors.forename: K D
authors.initials: KD
authors.lastname: Forsyth
mesh_terms: D000707:Anaphylaxis; D006801:Humans; D007136:Immunoglobulins / Q000096:biosynthesis; D007223:Infant; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D007249:Inflammation; D012141:Respiratory Tract Infections / Q000276:immunology / Q000821:virology; D013398:Sudden Infant Death / Q000209:etiology* / Q000276:immunology*; D013601:T-Lymphocytes / Q000276:immunology
chemical_list: D007136:Immunoglobulins