Complement and immunoglobulins in septcemic newborn infants with and without meningitis

ABSTRACT

The aim of this study was to investigate possibility of quantitative deficiency in the complement components C3 and C4, and Igs G, M and A in newborn infants with meningitis. A total of 180 infants were enrolled into this study. They were allocated into 3 groups [A] Infants with sepcemia, but had not developed meningitis [No.=68], [B] Infants with sepsis and meningitis [No.=42], and [C] Healthy control infants [No.=70]. Following sepsis work up and documentation of the type of infection, all infants had determination of serum concentration of C3, C4, IgG, M and A, with the radial immuno difusion technique. Statistical comparison of the clinical laboratory and immunological data was performed between 3 groups, the meningitis vs the septcemic groups, and also after categorizing the cases according to their gestational age