Specific Antibodies: Pneumococcus

General Information

Investigation of specific antibody responses are useful in the assessment of the following groups of patients:-

Patients especially children. with recurrent bacterial sepsis particularily those with recuurent upper or lower respiratory tract infections.

Patients with invasive disease caused by encapsulated organisms like streptococcus pneumoniae.

To assess immune reconstitution following bone marrow transplantation.

Patients who are asplenic or have functional hyposplenism.

For the assessment of protective antibody levels against tetanus, diphtheria and haemophilus influenzae B, as an indication of the need for re-immunisation.

To assess the significance of reduced IgG or IgG subclass levels in patients undergoing investigation for a putative immune defect.

To differentiate transient congenital from transient infantile hypogammaglobulinaemia, the latter usually responds to primary immunisation.