Abstract
Activation of the terminal C' components, C3-9, plays an important role in host defense against infection. The following study was performed in order to determine if the activation of C3-9 is normal in newborn sera. E coli, isolated from newborn blood or CSF, were incubated in sera at 37° for 30 min and the percent of available C3 that was activated was measured. Using one strain of E coli, 32%(mean) of the C3 was activated in sera from 18 newborns, as compared to 85% in sera from their mothers and 79% in sera from 13 normal adults (P<.005). In contrast, using another strain of E coli, the percent of C3 activated in newborns(83%) was the same as in their mothers (81%) or in normal adults (73%). The inability of some E coli to activate C3 in newborn sera was unrelated to the presence of the K1 antigen; in studying 7 additional strains some K1 positive strains activated C3 in newborn sera while some K1 negative strains did not. The defect in newborn sera appeared to be due to a deficiency of a serum component (s) rather than to the presence of an inhibitor.
Thus, activation of the terminal C' components in newborns is defective when tested with some, but not all, strains of E coli. However, the defective activation is not related to the presence of the K1 antigen.
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Winkelstein, J., Kurlandsky, L. & Swift, A. DEFECTIVE ACTIVATION OF THE TERMINAL COMPLEMENT '(c') COMPONENTS IN NEWBORN SERA. Pediatr Res 11, 496 (1977). https://doi.org/10.1203/00006450-197704000-00760
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1203/00006450-197704000-00760