ROLE OF THE SPLEEN IN PNEUMOCOCCAL INFECTION

SW Hosea

Abstract


Complement and the spleen interact in host defense against the encapsulated Pneumococcus, responsible for most OPSI. Splenectomized patients lack splenic phagocytes specialized to clear bacteria coated with only small amounts of IgG from the bloodstream, and they are unable to mount a suffiecient antibody response for liver macrophages to overcome the defect.

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