Serum Mannose-Binding Lectin Levels are Linked with Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV) Disease.

Abstract  The innate immune response facilitates the quality of the adaptive immune response and is critical to an individual’s susceptibility to infection and disease. Mannose-binding lectin (MBL) is a plasma protein with anti-microbial properties that binds a wide range of pathogens to flag them for immune destruction independent of antibodies. In this study, serum MBL levels were measured in 81 children T cells was statistically lower in RSV-infected children ≥6 months old compared to controls, while the percent CD8 T cells in RSV-infected and control PBMC was generally similar. These results suggest that low serum MBL levels may be a marker of RSV disease severity in children and that MBL may be important in limiting RSV disease pathogenesis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]