[Alloimmune neutropenia in newborns]

Investigations were conducted in 4 infants with alloimmune neutropenia caused by leuko-agglutinins (2 cases) and granulo-cytotoxins (2 cases) detected in the mothers' and infants' sera. Anti-granulocytic antibodies reacted with granulocytes of the child and father but did not react with the mother's own cells. A more severe clinical course (repeated pyo-inflammatory diseases, sepsis) was recorded in infants with alloimmune neutropenia caused by granulo-cytotoxins, alloimmune neutropenia was characterized by disorders in neutrophil phagocytic activity (mainly, due to decreased digestive capacity of cells), inhibition of colony-forming capacity of precursor-cells of granulocytopoiesis; a tendency to T-lymphocytopenia was noted during the study of cellular immunity parameters. Prognosis was favourable in all the cases of neutropenia. The maximum term of neutropenia duration was 6 months. The catamnesis has shown that the development of the infants is normal and they fall ill not often.