title: The administration of a polyvalent mechanical bacterial lysate in elderly patients with COPD results in serological signs of an efficient immune response associated with a reduced number of acute episodes.
abstract: The administration of a polyvalent mechanical bacterial lysate (PMBL) in elderly patients with COPD has been shown to reduce the number of exacerbation. This is largely related to the involvement of cells belonging to the innate and the adaptive immune system (including dendritic cells, granulocytes, T and B lymphocytes and NK cells) that actively cooperate inducing the production of specific opsonizing antibodies directed to the antigens of PMBL. We have evaluated the production of antibodies directed to respiratory and systemic pathogens in a group of elderly COPD patients, recruited in a clinical trial, ancillary to a larger multicenter double blind, placebo-controlled, parallel-designed clinical trial in which patients were randomized to daily receive either PMBL or placebo. The treated group not only experienced a reduced number of seroconversion, but also, better controlled the number of infectious episodes and COPD exacerbations. It was thus evident that the administration of PMBL resulted not only effective in inducing the secretion of specific antibodies, but also effective in reducing the infectious episodes trough the potentiation of the antibody-mediated arm of the immune response.
authors.affiliation: Laboratorio Centrale di Analisi, Dipartimento di Ricerca Traslazionale e Medicina di, Laboratorio, Istituto Giannina Gaslini, Genova, Italy.
authors.forename: Rossella
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Ricci
authors.affiliation: Laboratorio Centrale di Analisi, Dipartimento di Ricerca Traslazionale e Medicina di, Laboratorio, Istituto Giannina Gaslini, Genova, Italy.
authors.forename: Candida
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Palmero
authors.affiliation: Laboratorio Centrale di Analisi, Dipartimento di Ricerca Traslazionale e Medicina di, Laboratorio, Istituto Giannina Gaslini, Genova, Italy.
authors.forename: Gyada
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Bazurro
authors.affiliation: UOC di Pneumologia ed Allergologia, Dipartimento di Medicina Interna, Università di Genova, Genova, Italy.
authors.forename: Anna Maria
authors.initials: AM
authors.lastname: Riccio
authors.affiliation: UOC di Pneumologia ed Allergologia, Dipartimento di Medicina Interna, Università di Genova, Genova, Italy.
authors.forename: Valentina
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Garelli
authors.affiliation: Laboratorio Centrale di Analisi, Dipartimento di Ricerca Traslazionale e Medicina di, Laboratorio, Istituto Giannina Gaslini, Genova, Italy.
authors.forename: Eddi
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Di Marco
authors.affiliation: Laboratorio Centrale di Analisi, Dipartimento di Ricerca Traslazionale e Medicina di, Laboratorio, Istituto Giannina Gaslini, Genova, Italy.
authors.forename: Carmelina
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Cirillo
authors.affiliation: UOC di Pneumologia ed Allergologia, Dipartimento di Medicina Interna, Università di Genova, Genova, Italy.
authors.forename: Fulvio
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Braido
authors.affiliation: UOC di Pneumologia ed Allergologia, Dipartimento di Medicina Interna, Università di Genova, Genova, Italy.
authors.forename: Giorgio Walter
authors.initials: GW
authors.lastname: Canonica
authors.affiliation: Laboratorio Centrale di Analisi, Dipartimento di Ricerca Traslazionale e Medicina di, Laboratorio, Istituto Giannina Gaslini, Genova, Italy. Electronic address: giovannimelioli@gmail.com.
authors.forename: Giovanni
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Melioli
mesh_terms: D056704:Adaptive Immunity / Q000276:immunology; D000276:Adjuvants, Immunologic / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000906:Antibodies / Q000276:immunology*; D002457:Cell Extracts / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D004311:Double-Blind Method; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007113:Immunity, Innate / Q000276:immunology; D008297:Male; D029424:Pulmonary Disease, Chronic Obstructive / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000276:immunology / Q000503:physiopathology; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D000095983:Bacterial Lysates
chemical_list: D000276:Adjuvants, Immunologic; D000906:Antibodies; D002457:Cell Extracts; C030259:Broncho-Vaxom; D000095983:Bacterial Lysates
keywords: Antibodies; Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease; Immune response; Polyvalent mechanical bacterial lysate; Respiratory tract infections