Bacterial
infection in neonates, especially in immature preterm neonates, causes death
and has a key role for long-term morbidity of those infants. The reason of this
phenomenon is mainly due to the immaturity of bactericidal mechanisms in innate
immunity. Neutrophils (PMNs: Polymorphonuclear leukocytes) are primaryresponders maintaining nonspecific innate immunity against bacterial invasion.
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| Neonatal Polymorphonuclear Leukocytes |
The principal functions exhibited by circulating PMNs in response to bacterial
invasion and inflammation include adherence to the vascular endothelium,
deformability, chemotaxis, phagocytosis and intracellular microbial killing. In
neonates, the ability of PMNs adherence, deformability and chemotaxis are known
to be low because of the immaturity of neutrophil structure.Read more>>>
