IL-5 production and CD30 expression in patients with partial IgA deficiency

Partial IgA deficiency (pIgAd) is found in a relatively high proportion of children with recurrent infections. CD30 positive cells and IL-5 have been shown to be important in regulating the production of IgA. We designed a study to look at CD30 expression and IL-5 production in a group of children with pIgAd and age matched controls. pIgAd was defined as IgA levels that are more than 2 standard deviations below the mean for age, but greater than 5 mg/dl. The significance of pIgAd has not been well delineated. We compared the mean results for each group using the unpaired t-test. Expression of phenotypes by stimulated lymphocytes were determined by flow cytometry using commercially available antibodies. IL-5 production was measured by ELISA using a commercially available kit. The following table reflects our results. PATIENTS CONTROLS P VALUE AGE(months) 110.3 127.6 0.2587 SERUM IgA 61.7 mg/dl 171.4 m/dl <0.0001 in vitro IL-5 192.6 pg/ml 294.0 pg/ml 0.2509 CD4+CD30+ 4.0% 2.4 % 0.2277 CD45RO+CD30+ 3.5 % 2.4 % 0.4038 These data indicate pIgAd is unlikely to be secondary to a deficiency in CD30+ cells or in IL-5 production. Further evaluation of the basis of pIgAd may provide insights that could lead to new approaches for managing children with recurrent respiratory tract infections.