Related Experiment Video

Updated: Aug 1, 2026

Noninvasive Sampling of Mucosal Lining Fluid for the Quantification of In Vivo Upper Airway Immune-mediator Levels

Noninvasive Sampling of Mucosal Lining Fluid for the Quantification of In Vivo Upper Airway Immune-mediator Levels

Published on: August 7, 2017

Serum immunoglobulin levels in paediatric patients with pneumonia

L R Mazengera¹, K J Nathoo, B J Zegers

¹Department of Immunology, University of Zimbabwe Medical School, Avondale, Harare, Zimbabwe.

The Central African Journal of Medicine

|July 13, 2000

Abstract

Objective:

To determine levels of serum immunoglobulins IgG, IgM and IgA in patients admitted with pneumonia to Harare Central Hospital paediatric wards.

Design:

A cross sectional pilot study.

Setting:

Harare Central Hospital, Department of Immunology, University of Zimbabwe; Department of Paediatrics, University of Zimbabwe; Immunology Laboratory, University of Utrecht (The Netherlands).

Subjects:

71 paediatric patients.

Main Outcome Measures:

Immunoglobulin profiles for children with pneumonia.

Results:

Of the 71 children tested, 43 had high IgG levels of between two and half and five times the upper end of the normal age-matched reference range. While the same 43 children with high IgG had similarly elevated levels of IgM, only 25 of them had elevated IgA levels. Of this group of 43 children with hypergammaglobulinaemia, all but one, had antibodies to human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), 50% of whom had detectable levels of p24 antigen in their sera. A small minority, 4% of the 71 patients, had very low levels of total immunogloblins.

Conclusions:

High levels of total immunoglobulins occur frequently in children with pneumonia and are associated with the presence of HIV 1/2 antibodies and also p24 antigen.

More Related Videos

Opsonophagocytic Killing Assay to Assess Immunological Responses Against Bacterial Pathogens

Opsonophagocytic Killing Assay to Assess Immunological Responses Against Bacterial Pathogens

Published on: April 5, 2019

Separation of Immune Cell Subpopulations in Peripheral Blood Samples from Children with Infectious Mononucleosis

Separation of Immune Cell Subpopulations in Peripheral Blood Samples from Children with Infectious Mononucleosis

Published on: September 7, 2022

Related Concept Videos

Humoral Immune Responses

Humoral Immune Responses

Development of Immunocompetence

Development of Immunocompetence

The initiation of cell-mediated immunity can be observed as early as the third month of fetal growth, with active antibody-mediated immunity following approximately one month later.
The initial cells that migrate from the fetal thymus settle within the skin and epithelial tissues lining the mouth, digestive tract, and in females, the uterus and vagina. These cells, including skin-based dendritic cells, serve as antigen-presenting cells, playing a key role in T cell activation.
Subsequent T...

Pneumonia III: Complications and Assessment

Pneumonia III: Complications and Assessment

Pneumonia poses the potential for numerous complications that warrant consideration. These complications include the following:

Atypical Pneumonia

Atypical Pneumonia

Atypical pneumonia, often caused by Mycoplasma pneumoniae, is a form of pulmonary infection that differs from the classical presentation of bacterial pneumonia in both its cause and clinical symptoms. Mycoplasma pneumoniae is a pleomorphic bacterium notable for its lack of a rigid cell wall. This structural characteristic imparts resistance to beta-lactam antibiotics and significantly influences the bacterium’s behavior within the human host.Other pathogens responsible for the disease include...

Respiratory Syncytial Virus Disease

Respiratory Syncytial Virus Disease

Human respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) is a widespread pathogen that primarily targets infants and young children but also poses a serious health risk to elderly and immunocompromised individuals. Belonging to the Pneumoviridae family, RSV is a negative-sense, single-stranded RNA virus within the Pneumovirus genus. Its global health burden is significant, with millions of cases annually resulting in hospitalizations and mortality, particularly in resource-limited settings. Although most...

Pneumonia I: Introduction

Pneumonia I: Introduction

Pneumonia is an infection of the lower respiratory tract that leads to inflammation of the lung parenchyma, often resulting in the accumulation of inflammatory exudate in the alveoli and airways. Unlike the watery, low-protein fluid exudate in pulmonary edema, the exudate in this case is a thick fluid rich in immune cells, proteins, and debris produced during infection and inflammation.This impairs gas exchange and can lead to consolidation of lung tissue. The infection may be caused by a...

Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

Non-adherence to highly active antiretroviral therapy in children attending HIV treatment clinic at harare Children's Hospital, Zimbabwe.

The Central African journal of medicine·2017

Clinical predictors of HIV infection in hospitalized children aged 2-18 months in Harare, Zimbabwe.

African health sciences·2013

HIV-1 and HIV-2 prevalence and associated risk factors among postnatal women in Harare, Zimbabwe.

Epidemiology and infection·2007

Adoption of safer infant feeding and postpartum sexual practices and their relationship to maternal HIV status and risk of acquiring HIV in Zimbabwe.

Tropical medicine & international health : TM & IH·2007

A clinical evaluation of children under the age of five years who are household contacts of adults with sputum positive tuberculosis in Harare, Zimbabwe.

The Central African journal of medicine·2003

Serum IgG subclasses levels in paediatric patients with pneumonia.

The Central African journal of medicine·2002

See all related articles