Abnormalities of Neutrophil Adherence in Newborns

[摘要] Polymorphonuclear neutrophil (PMN) adherence to glass and nylon wool was examined in 19 healthy term newborns, 19 normal children aged 2 weeks to 17 years, and 33 adults in good health who were taking no medication. Using a whole blood glass adherence assay, neonatal PMN adherence (0.18 ± 0.16%) was significantly less than PMN adherence in children (7.4 ± 4.0%, P < .0001) and in adults (16.0 ± 4.5%, P < .0001). Similar results were obtained when separated neonatal and adult PMNs were used with both glass and nylon wool column adherence assays, indicating that decreased neonatal PMN adherence is due to a cellular defect. In other experiments there was significantly greater reduction in adherence of separated PMNs with addition of neonatal serum than with adult serum, indicating that a humoral inhibitor also contributes to decreased adherence of neonatal PMNs. Decreased neonatal PMN adherence may be one cause of the increased susceptibility of neonates to serious bacterial infections.

[学科分类] 儿科学