title: Neonatal alloimmune neutropenia:  still a diagnostic and therapeutical challenge.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To describe a case of neonatal alloimmune neutropenia (NAN), a very rare disease of the newborn and the first ever reported in our neonatal intensive care unit, with emphasis in its management and outcome.
  
  
  METHODS
  We report a case of NAN due to anti-human neutrophil antigen-1b alloimmunization in a 29-week preterm admitted to our neonatal intensive care unit. In this case, the neutropenia was severe and persisted for almost 2 months. There was a good response to the administration of intravenous immunoglobulin.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  NAN is caused by maternal production of neutrophil-specific alloantibodies in response to antigens from paternal heritage present on the newborn neutrophiles. The course of the disease is usually mild and self-limiting. The optimal therapy is yet a debate, with some authors finding the use of intravenous immunoglobulin effective, prophylactic antibiotic therapy or recombinant human granulocyte colony-stimulating factor.
authors.affiliation: Neonatal Intensive Care Unit, Hospital São João, EPE, Alameda Prof. Hernâni Monteiro, Porto, Portugal.
authors.forename: Sofia
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Águeda
authors.forename: Gustavo
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Rocha
authors.forename: Fátima
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Ferreira
authors.forename: Bonito
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Vítor
authors.forename: Margarida
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Lima
authors.forename: Hercília
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Guimarães
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D007518:Isoantibodies / Q000096:biosynthesis* / Q000276:immunology; D007519:Isoantigens / Q000276:immunology; D008297:Male; D009503:Neutropenia / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000209:etiology* / Q000628:therapy; D009504:Neutrophils / Q000276:immunology*
chemical_list: D007518:Isoantibodies; D007519:Isoantigens; C104384:neutrophil-specific antigen SH