A 3-year-old child, Ryan Palmer, has a history of serious infections and is curr

Question

A 3-year-old child, Ryan Palmer, has a history of serious infections and is currently hospitalized with meningitis. The doctor suspects that he might have a complement deficiency, and orders additional testing. The following results were obtained: decreased CH50, normal C4 and C3 levels, and decreased radial hemolysis in agarose plates using a buffer that chelates calcium.

Questions:

a. What do the result indicate about possible pathway(s) affected?

b. Which component(s) is most likely to be lacking?

c. What sort of additional follow-up would be recommended?

Explanation / Answer

A) The child is suffering from Neisseria meningitis. The results showed that the levels of C3 and C4 are normal and CD59 levels are decreased. So, this is a defect in common pathway of compliment activation.

B) The components most likely to be lacking are C6, C7, C8 and C9.

C) Regular follow up and screening are needed as the patient is more prone to bacterial infections due to defect in compliment activation.

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