Quantitative Changes in the Immunoglobulins of Young Children during Respiratory Viral Infection and Pneumonia

Abstract : The method of simple radial immunodiffusion according to Mancini, Carbonara, Heremans was used to make a quantitative determination of three classes of immunoglobulins (A, M, G) in 40 children of 1 - 3 months old with acute respiratory diseases complicated and not complicated by pneumonia at different periods of the disease. The increase of the IgM fraction was observed during the acute phase of respiratory infection. In protracted, complicated by pneumonia course of the viro-bacterial infection a rise in immunoglobulins of all the three fractions was noted, while during the period of reconvalescence there was seen a tendency towards a drop of IgM, further increase of IgG and IgA.