title: The B-cell compartment in the peripheral blood of children with different types of primary humoral immunodeficiency.
abstract: The aim of this study was to evaluate the B-cell compartment in the peripheral blood of children with different types of hypogammaglobulinemia: common variable immunodeficiency (CVID), transient hypogammaglobulinemia of infancy (THI), and selective IgA deficiency (SIgAD). We analyzed by flow cytometry the changes in the B-cell subsets with age and showed that children with an early-onset CVID develop similar pattern of B-cell subsets as adult patients with CVID with age, as the levels of memory B cells (CD19/CD27) and class-switched memory B cells (CD19/CD27/IgD/IgM), in contrast to age-matched control group, did not increase with age. Children with SIgAD displayed similar changes as patients with CVID only within the class-switched memory B-cell subpopulation. No significant differences in the level of memory B cells and class-switched memory B cells in children with THI in comparison to age-matched control group were observed. There were no differences in the percentage of immature B cells (CD19/CD21) among all studied groups. As B-cell subsets in children with THI were normal during entire period of hypogammaglobulinemia, the persistence of low levels of memory B-cell subsets in some children may facilitate the diagnosis of CVID.
authors.affiliation: Department of Clinical Immunology, Jagiellonian University Medical College, Wielicka Str. 265, Cracow, Poland. karobuko@poczta.onet.pl
authors.forename: Karolina
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Bukowska-Straková
authors.forename: Danuta
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Kowalczyk
authors.forename: Jarosław
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Baran
authors.forename: Maciej
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Siedlar
authors.forename: Krzysztof
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Kobylarz
authors.forename: Marek
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Zembala