The B-cell compartment in the peripheral blood of children with different types of primary humoral immunodeficiency

Pediatr Res. 2009 Jul;66(1):28-34. doi: 10.1203/PDR.0b013e3181a7b0a2.

Abstract

The aim of this study was to evaluate the B-cell compartment in the peripheral blood of children with different types of hypogammaglobulinemia: common variable immunodeficiency (CVID), transient hypogammaglobulinemia of infancy (THI), and selective IgA deficiency (SIgAD). We analyzed by flow cytometry the changes in the B-cell subsets with age and showed that children with an early-onset CVID develop similar pattern of B-cell subsets as adult patients with CVID with age, as the levels of memory B cells (CD19/CD27) and class-switched memory B cells (CD19/CD27/IgD/IgM), in contrast to age-matched control group, did not increase with age. Children with SIgAD displayed similar changes as patients with CVID only within the class-switched memory B-cell subpopulation. No significant differences in the level of memory B cells and class-switched memory B cells in children with THI in comparison to age-matched control group were observed. There were no differences in the percentage of immature B cells (CD19/CD21) among all studied groups. As B-cell subsets in children with THI were normal during entire period of hypogammaglobulinemia, the persistence of low levels of memory B-cell subsets in some children may facilitate the diagnosis of CVID.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Adult
  • Agammaglobulinemia / immunology*
  • Age Factors
  • B-Lymphocyte Subsets / immunology*
  • Child
  • Child, Preschool
  • Common Variable Immunodeficiency / immunology*
  • Female
  • Flow Cytometry
  • Humans
  • IgA Deficiency / immunology*
  • Immunophenotyping
  • Infant
  • Male
  • Statistics, Nonparametric