Surfactant protein D (SP-D) serum levels in patients with community-acquired pneumonia.
SP-D is a lectin involved in the first line of defense against microorganisms. It is primarily found in the lung but also at extrapulmonary sites and in the circulation. An immunoassay for the quantification of SP-D in serum was established and the SP-D concentration was measured in consecutive blood samples from 61 patients hospitalized for community-acquired pneumonia of suspected bacterial origin. On the day of admission to the hospital the serum SP-D concentration was significantly lower than that in healthy subjects. On day 5, the SP-D concentration had increased on average three times the concentration on admission and then slowly declined toward normal levels. CRP was measured simultaneously but no correlation was observed between concentrations of SP-D and CRP. The results show a wide range of serum SP-D concentration in healthy volunteers and indicate that significant changes occur during pulmonary infection.
Leth-Larsen
Rikke
R
Department of Immunology and Microbiology, Institute of Medical Biology, University of Southern Denmark, Odense University, Winsloewparken 211, DK-5000 Odense C, Denmark.
Nordenbaek
Claudia
C
Tornoe
Ida
I
Moeller
Vivi
V
Schlosser
Anders
A
Koch
Claus
C
Teisner
Boerge
B
Junker
Peter
P
Holmskov
Uffe
U
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D002097:C-Reactive Protein / Q000378:metabolism; D017714:Community-Acquired Infections / Q000378:metabolism*; D004797:Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007962:Leukocytes; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D018410:Pneumonia, Bacterial / Q000378:metabolism*; D037663:Pulmonary Surfactant-Associated Protein D / Q000097:blood* / Q000276:immunology
D037663:Pulmonary Surfactant-Associated Protein D; D002097:C-Reactive Protein