Authors: Perez-Castellano, M.¹; Peñaranda, M.²; Payeras, A.; Milà, J.¹; Riera, M.²; Vidal, J.²; Pujalte, F.¹; Pareja, A.³; Villalonga, C.²; Matamoros, N.¹

Source: Clinical & Experimental Immunology, Volume 145, Number 2, August 2006 , pp. 228-234(7)

Publisher: Wiley-Blackwell

Abstract:

Summary

The objective of this work was to study the role of mannose-binding lectin (MBL) and C-reactive protein (CRP) in pneumococcal pneumonia, to determine whether MBL acts as an acute-phase reactant and whether the severity of the disease correlates with MBL levels. The study comprised 100 patients with pneumococcal pneumonia. The pneumonia severity score was calculated and graded into a risk class of mortality (Fine scale). The MBL genotypes and the levels of MBL and CRP at the acute and recovery phases were determined. Fifty patients with the wild-type MBL genotype showed higher MBL levels in each phase (P < 0·001) and an increased risk to developing bacteraemia, odds ratio (OR) 2·74, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1·01-7·52) (P = 0·02), but this did not correlate with the pneumonia severity class. CRP levels in the acute phase, 79·53 mg/l [standard deviation (s.d.) 106·93], were higher in the subjects with positive blood cultures (P = 0·003), and remained higher [20·12 mg/l (s.d. 31·90)] in the group of patients with an underlying disease (P = 0·01). No correlation was observed between the levels of MBL and CRP in each phase, or with the pneumonia severity score. We cannot conclude that MBL acts uniformly as an acute-phase reactant in pneumococcal pneumonia. MBL levels do not correlate well with the severity of the pneumonia. The risk of developing bacteraemia could be enhanced in individuals with the wild-type MBL genotype.

Keywords: acute phase proteins; community-acquired pneumonia; C-reactive protein; mannose-binding lectin; Streptococcus pneumoniae

Document Type: Research article

DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/j.1365-2249.2006.03140.x

Affiliations: 1: Service of Immunology, 2: Infectious Diseases Unit Hospital Son Dureta, and 3: Internal Medicine Service, Hospital Son Llàtzer, Palma de Mallorca, Spain

Publication date: 2006-08-01

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• In this Subject: Microbiology ,  Allergy & Immunology
• By this author: Perez-Castellano, M. ;  Peñaranda, M. ;  Payeras, A. ;  Milà, J. ;  Riera, M. ;  Vidal, J. ;  Pujalte, F. ;  Pareja, A. ;  Villalonga, C. ;  Matamoros, N.

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