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Recurrent respiratory infections in childhood: experience with a bacterial extract plus bacterial ribosomes
A Fiocchi1, R Arancio, P Cinquepalmi
1Paediatric Clinic, San Paolo Hospital, Milan, Italy.
Insights
Bacterial wall extract (Immucytal) improved respiratory symptoms and reduced infections in children with recurrent respiratory infections. This treatment also boosted immune responses, showing promise as an alternative therapy.
Area of Science:
- Immunology
- Pediatrics
- Respiratory Medicine
Background:
- Recurrent respiratory infections pose a significant health burden in children.
- Current therapeutic options may have limitations, necessitating novel approaches.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate the efficacy and safety of bacterial wall extract (Immucytal) in children with recurrent respiratory infections.
- To assess Immucytal's impact on respiratory symptoms, infection incidence, and immune parameters.
Main Methods:
- A randomized, placebo-controlled trial involving 60 children with recurrent respiratory infections.
- Treatment involved intranasal and oropharyngeal spray of Immucytal or placebo for 1-2 week periods over 3.5 months.
- Evaluated respiratory symptoms, infection rates, respiratory function, immunoglobulin levels, and lymphocyte responses.
Main Results:
- Immucytal treatment led to earlier improvement in respiratory symptoms compared to placebo.
- A significant reduction in upper and lower airway infections was observed in the Immucytal group.
- Increased serum immunoglobulin A and M levels and enhanced skin-test lymphocyte blastogenesis were noted with Immucytal.
- No significant changes in respiratory function parameters or circulating lymphocyte subpopulations were found.
Conclusions:
- Bacterial wall extract (Immucytal) demonstrated clinical efficacy in managing recurrent respiratory infections in children.
- Immucytal appears to modulate immune responses, offering a potential alternative therapy for this condition.
- The treatment was generally well-tolerated, with physicians and parents reporting favorable clinical outcomes.
Abstract:
A total of 60 children (mean age +/- SD 7.6 +/- 3.5 years, range 2 - 14.2 years) with recurrent respiratory infections were treated with bacterial wall extract plus bacterial ribosomes (Immucytal) or placebo sprayed into the nostrils and oropharynx three times a day for 1 or 2-week periods over 3.5 months. The treatment was completed by 58 subjects; two patients in the placebo-treated group were withdrawn, one for poor compliance and the other because of headaches. Respiratory symptoms improved from the first month in the Immucytal treated children, but not in the placebo group, with a reduction in the incidence of infections in the upper and lower airways. No changes were noted in respiratory function parameters. Treatment with Immucytal significantly increased serum immunoglobulin A (P less than 0.02) and immunoglobulin M (P less than 0.01) and enhanced skin response to the in vivo lymphocyte blastization test, but there was no significant change in the circulating lymphocyte subpopulations. Both physicians and the patients' parents judged the bacterial extract to be clinically better than the placebo. Immucytal, therefore, may provide a useful alternative therapy for recurrent respiratory infections in infancy.