STUDIES OF THE IMMUNOLOGY OF THE NEWBORN INFANT

[摘要] The bacteriostatic activity of the serum of infants was compared by an in vitro test with that of older children and adults in an attempt to explain the increased susceptibility to septicemia of the former.The serum of newborn infants at birth has a bacteriostatic activity against E. coli comparable to that of older individuals. This property is lost during the first weeks of life. It reappears in some infants in a few months and is usually present after one year of age.The bacteriostatic activity of premature infant serum follows closely that of the full term infant.The complement activity of 9 of 11 sera from premature infants fell within the range found in normal adult sera. Experiments using guinea pig serum as a source of complement also indicate that the poor bacteriostatic activity of premature infant serum is not the result of deficient complement ent activity. This is probably also true of the full term infant.Experiments with gamma globulin indicate that a deficiency in this serum fraction is at least partly responsible for the poor bacteriostatic performance of premature infant serum.Concurrent bacteriostatic tests with E. coli, Neisseria catarrhalis and Salmonella derby suggest that the ability to inhibit one organism is usually paralleled by the ability to inhibit the others.The possible nature of the bacteriostatic substances is discussed.

[学科分类] 儿科学