UPDATED Immuno: Primary Immune Deficiencies 2 Flashcards
What is the largest innate cell population in the blood? and what is it regulated by?
NEUTROPHIL
Continuous production by bone marrow regulated by IL-17-G-CSF axis
Where are neutrophils found?
Found bone marrow, LN, lung and spleen
What 3 things do neutrophils do?
- Eliminate pathogens
- Phagocytosis, degranulation, NETosis
- Healing and repair tissue damage
- Modulates adaptive immune responses
- Promotes T cell independent antibody production
- Enhances or suppresses T cell function
Describe the structure of a neutrophil
What are the 2 types of defects in neutrophil function?
- Binding to endothelial cells: Leukocyte adhesion deficiency syndromes (LAD)
- Generation of reactive oxygen species: Chronic Granulomatous Disease (CGD)
What are the ranges of quantitative neutrophil defects?
- 1.0-1.5 x10^9/L Mild
- 0.5-1.0 x10^9/L Moderate
- 0.2-0-5 x10^9/L Severe
- <0.2 x 10^9/L Very severe
What are the 2 quantitative neutrophil deficiency syndromes?
- Chronic benign neutropenia
- Severe congenital neutropenia
What is Chronic benign neutropenia?
- Mild (usually) or moderate neutropenia
- Common in number of different ancestry groups (Africa, Middle East)
- Asymptomatic ( should not lead to further investigation)
What is severe congenital neutropenia?
- Several conditions involving defects in neutrophil maturation
- Different mutation in Neutrophil Elastase enzyme are commonly implicated
- Present within first 3 months of life
- Susceptible to oral, cutaneous Staphylococcal (aureus, epidermidis), G- enteric bacteria (Pseudomonas aeruginosa) and fungal (candida and aspergillus)
- Life threatening infections if not recognized and treated promptly
- Genetic defects which may also involve other organ systems and can pre-dispose to haematological malignancy (MDS and AML)
- G-CSF support and stem cell transplantation for high risk individuals
What is leukocyte adhesion deficiency? and what is it caused by?
Caused by failure of neutrophil migration
* due to deficiency of CD18 (β2 integrin subunit)
CD11a/CD18 (LFA-1) is expressed on neutrophils, binds to ligand (ICAM-1) on endothelial cells and so regulates neutrophil adhesion/transmigration
Lack of expression of adhesion molecules results in failure to exit from the bloodstream
* delayed separation of umbilical cord
* very high neutrophil counts in blood (20-100 x106/L)
* absence of pus formation
* Haematopoietic stem transplantation
What is chronic granulomatous disease and what is it caused by?
- Absent respiratory burst
- due to an inability to generate oxygen free radicals results in impaired killing, NETosis.
- caused by deficiency of one of components of NADPH oxidase
What is chronic granulomatous disease characterised by?
- Skin, lymph node, liver, bone, chest bacterial , fungal, TB and NTM infections
- Excessive inflammation
- Increased NF-κβ and IL-1β activation
- Macrophage infiltration and granuloma
- Gastro-intestinal and genitourinary inflammatory disease
What is the management of chronic granulomatous disease?
- Cotrimoxazole and itraconazole prophylaxis
- Adjunctive IFN-, Stem cell and gene therapy
What are some Investigation of neutrophil IEI syndromes?
- Immunoglobulins
- Lymphocyte subsets
- Bone marrow biopsy
- Neutrophil function assay
- Neutrophil oxidative burst
- Stimulate neutrophils and measure hydrogen peroxide
- DHR-123 assay: DHR-13 is oxidised to rhodamine which is strongly fluorescent, following interaction with hydrogen peroxide
- Genetic neutrophil panels
What is a complement pathway, and what does it do?
- Complement is a protein network
- Complement cascade proteins (C1 to C9)
- Complement regulatory protein (C1 inhibitor, Factors B,D, P, H I, CD46, CD55, CD59)
- Complement receptors (CR1-4)
- Complement function
- Induction of acute inflammatory responses (C3a, C5a)
- Opsonisation of pathogens (C3b)
- Removal of immune complexes (C1q-CR1)
- Control of Neisseria infection (C5-9)
- Regulation of B and T cell immune responses (C3d)
What can activate C3 thus activating the complement pathway?
- Antigen-IgG (Classical)
- Carbohydrates (MBL)
- Bacterial cell wall (alternate)
What are some complement protein deficiencies, and what can they cause?
What are some deficiencies of complement regulatory proteins and what do they cause?
What are some investigations of complement function?
- FBC
- Serum immunoglobulin
- Lymphocyte subsets
- C3 and C4
- Functional complement tests
- CH50 classical pathway
- AP50 alternative pathway
- Complement genetic test
What is the management of patients with complement cascade protein deficiencies?
- Vaccination
- Boost protection mediated by other arms of the immune system
- Tetravalent Meningococcal vaccine , Pneumovax and HIB vaccines
- Prophylactic antibiotics
- Treat infection aggressively
- Screening of family members
What are primary lymphoid organs?
Organs involved in lymphocyte development
What are the 2 primary lymphoid organs?
- Bone marrow
- Thymus