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Impaired C3b/iC3b deposition on Streptococcus pneumoniae in serum from patients with systemic lupus erythematosus
Rheumatology, 10/02/09

Goldblatt F et al. – Opsonization of S. pneumoniae with C3b/iC3b was significantly reduced in serum from patients with SLE compared with non-SLE rheumatic disease and healthy controls. Failure to appropriately activate the immune system via complement may contribute to the increased susceptibility of SLE subjects to infections, and may correlate with a risk of pneumonia in a subgroup of SLE patients.

Methods

30 patients with SLE
20 with non-SLE rheumatic diseases (RA, PsA, AS, SS)
20 healthy controls
Ability of serum samples to opsonize S. pneumoniae (strains D39 and Io11697) with C3b/iC3b was assessed using a standardized FACS technique and a FACSCalibur flow cytometer
Results compared among 3 groups using analysis of variance, followed by pairwise comparisons among groups using Mann–Whitney U-test

Results

Proportion of bacteria positive for C3b/iC3b significantly lower in serum from patients with SLE compared with healthy controls and non-SLE rheumatic controls
For patients with SLE, no association between C3b/iC3b deposition and serum complement levels or measurable classical pathway activity
C3b/iC3b deposition on S. pneumoniae significantly lower in serum from SLE patients with a past history of pneumonia compared with those without

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