ABSTRACT
Objective To investigate the expression of human beta defensin 1 (HBD-1) in peripheral blood of children with community acquired pneumonia (CAP) and its clinical implication.Methods A total of 122 CAP children were included in this study from February 2015 to October 2015.The patients were stratified in terms of age,etiology,and disease severity.Additional 52 patients were included as control in the same period.All patients were classified according to the clinical feature after admission.Serum HBD-1 level was determined by ELISA method.Results Serum HBD-1 level was significantly higher in CAP group than in control group (P＜0.001).HBD-1 level did not vary significantly with pathogen or sex in CAP group.HBD-1 level did not show significant difference between severe pneumonia and mild pneumonia.The HBD-1 level in 6-12 months age group was significantly higher than that in other age groups.HBD-1 level was not correlated to CRP or neutrophils in CAP children.Conclusions HBD-1 plays a role in anti-infective process as part of body innate immunity.It boasts non-specific and broad-spectrum anti-infective immunity against various pathogens.