L-ficolin (ficolin-2) insufficiency is associated with combined allergic and infectious respiratory disease in children.
We previously reported an association between relative L-ficolin deficiency and recurrent respiratory infections co-existing with allergic disorders in children. To confirm and extend this preliminary finding, we performed a prospective study on children of a similar age (mean 8.9 years) designed to establish whether the principal relationship was with infection or allergy. Serum L-ficolin values in healthy children were normally distributed with a mean value of 3838 ng/ml. L-ficolin concentrations were generally lower in patients with asthma and/or allergic rhinitis with (mean 3413 ng/ml; p=0.02) or without (3512 ng/ml; p<0.07) respiratory infections, but not in patients with respiratory infections without allergic disease (3623 ng/ml; p=0.2). The lower average values in the group comprised of children with respiratory allergy and infections were largely due to a high proportion of very low values: 18.3% had values below 2150 ng/ml compared to only 5.5% of healthy controls (OR=3.9; p=0.01). This relationship was not apparent in the groups characterized by allergy without infection or infections without allergy. An association between mannan-binding lectin (MBL) insufficiency and recurrent respiratory infections was also confirmed. One of the patients was MASP-2 deficient, evidenced both by MASP2 genotyping and by lectin pathway activity measurement. In conclusion, L-ficolin may confer some protection from microorganisms that exacerbate allergic inflammation in the lung and its relative deficiency may contribute to enhanced susceptibility to respiratory infections. MBL insufficiency and MASP-2 deficiency are risk factors for recurrence of infections independently of allergic disease.
Cedzynski
Maciej
M
Institute of Medical Biology, Polish Academy of Sciences, Lodz, Poland. mcedzynski@cbm.pan.pl
Atkinson
Anne P M
AP
St Swierzko
Anna
A
MacDonald
Shirley L
SL
Szala
Agnieszka
A
Zeman
Krzysztof
K
Buczylko
Krzysztof
K
Bak-Romaniszyn
Leokadia
L
Wiszniewska
Magdalena
M
Matsushita
Misao
M
Szemraj
Janusz
J
Banasik
Małgorzata
M
Turner
Marc L
ML
Kilpatrick
David C
DC
D000293:Adolescent; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D002648:Child; D005838:Genotype; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D037102:Lectins / Q000097:blood / Q000172:deficiency*; D037601:Mannose-Binding Lectin / Q000097:blood / Q000235:genetics / Q000276:immunology; D050606:Mannose-Binding Protein-Associated Serine Proteases / Q000235:genetics; D009154:Mutation / Q000235:genetics; D012016:Reference Values; D012130:Respiratory Hypersensitivity / Q000097:blood / Q000150:complications*; D012141:Respiratory Tract Infections / Q000097:blood / Q000150:complications*; D000097604:Ficolins
D037102:Lectins; D037601:Mannose-Binding Lectin; D050606:Mannose-Binding Protein-Associated Serine Proteases; D000097604:Ficolins; C445619:MBL2 protein, human; C105296:MASP2 protein, human