Analysis of B Lymphocytes Status in Respiratory Diseases of Infants

In a prospective trial, the expression s of CD19 and the CD19+CD23+ cells in peripheral blood lymphocytes from infants with asthma, pneumonia and acute upper respiratory infections as well as the healthy non-atopic infants were analyzed by flow cytometery, and their serum total IgE levels were determined by chemiluminescence immunoassay. The results showed that the expressions of CD19 and the CD19+CD23+ cells were markedly increased in infants with asthma in comparison with those of healthy non-atopic infants, and the similar condition was observed in case of the serum total IgE levels. But there were no any increases of these parameters in cases of infants suffered from pneumonia and upper respiratory diseases. The positive rates and the absolute values of CD19 expression in infants with asthma showed positive correlation with those of the CD19+CD23+ cell expression. These results suggest that the increase in the numbers of B lymphocytes and alterations of activation exist in infants with asthma, but these were not found in cases with pneumonia and upper respiratory infections.