ABSTRACT
We have evaluated the cellular and humoral immune response to primary respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) infection in young infants. Serum specimens from 65 patients <=12 months of age (39 males and 26 females, 28 cases <3 months and 37 cases > or = 3 months; median 3 ± 3.9 months) were tested for anti-RSV IgG and IgG subclass antibodies by EIA. Flow cytometry was used to characterize cell surface markers expressed on peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) from 29 RSV-infected children. There was a low rate of seroconversion in children <3 months of age, whose acute-phase PBMC were mostly T lymphocytes (63.0 ± 9.0 percent). In contrast, a higher rate of seroconversion was observed in children >3 months of age, with predominance of B lymphocytes (71.0 ± 17.7 percent). Stimulation of PBMC with RSV (2 x 10(5) TCID50) for 48 h did not induce a detectable increase in intracellular cytokines and only a few showed a detectable increase in RSV-specific secreted cytokines. These data suggest that age is an important factor affecting the infants' ability to develop an immune response to RSV
Subject(s)
Humans , Male , Female , Infant , Infant, Newborn , B-Lymphocytes , Cytokines , Respiratory Syncytial Virus Infections , Respiratory Syncytial Virus, Human , T-Lymphocytes , Age Factors , Antibodies, Viral , Antigens, Surface , Biomarkers , Brazil , Flow Cytometry , Immunoenzyme TechniquesABSTRACT
Os autores analisaram 19 casos de criancas asmaticas que apresentavam crises espaticas severas apesar da utilizacao domiciliar de aerosol de salbutamol. Os pacientes eram seguidos em ambulatorio especializado. Foram avaliadas as tecnicas de utilizacao do inalador, constatando-se 32 erros. Na continuidade do trabalho foi acoplado espacador ao aerosol e realizado treinamento breve. A avaliacao subsequente da tecnica inalatoria observou apenas 1 erro em todo o grupo.