Prophylactic intravenous immunoglobulin in pre-term infants: a controlled trial

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Updated: Nov 6, 2026

Intravenous Injections in Neonatal Mice
05:17

Intravenous Injections in Neonatal Mice

Published on: November 11, 2014

S P Conway1, P C Ng, D Howel

  • 1Department of Infectious Disease, Seacroft Hospital, UK.

Vox Sanguinis
|January 1, 1990
PubMed

Insights

Prophylactic intravenous immunoglobulin reduced infections in very premature infants. This treatment also increased serum IgG levels, offering potential protection against sepsis in neonatal intensive care units.

Area of Science:

  • Neonatal Medicine
  • Immunology
  • Pediatric Infectious Diseases

Background:

  • Extremely premature infants (<30 weeks gestation) are highly susceptible to infections and sepsis.
  • Neonatal intensive care units (NICUs) manage high-risk infants requiring specialized care.
  • Intravenous immunoglobulin (IVIG) therapy is explored for immune support in vulnerable neonates.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To evaluate the efficacy of prophylactic intravenous immunoglobulin (IVIG) in reducing infections in preterm infants.
  • To assess the impact of IVIG on serum immunoglobulin G (IgG) levels in extremely premature neonates.

Main Methods:

  • Randomized controlled trial involving 66 preterm infants (<30 weeks gestation).
  • Infants received either routine intensive care or routine care plus prophylactic IVIG (200 mg/kg every 3 weeks).
  • Infection rates and serum IgG levels were compared between the control and treatment groups.

Main Results:

  • Significantly fewer infections occurred in the IVIG treatment group (8/55) compared to the control group (17/55) (p = 0.01).
  • Blood-culture-proven sepsis rates showed a non-significant trend towards reduction with IVIG (8 vs. 14, p = 0.09).
  • Coagulase-negative staphylococci were the predominant pathogens causing blood-culture-positive infections (84% of episodes).
  • Serum IgG levels were significantly higher in the IVIG group, reaching levels comparable to full-term infants.

Conclusions:

  • Prophylactic IVIG administration significantly reduces the overall incidence of infection in extremely preterm infants.
  • IVIG therapy effectively increases serum IgG levels in preterm neonates, potentially enhancing their immune defense.
  • Further investigation into IVIG for preventing specific infections like bloodstream infections in this population is warranted.

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