Texas Woman University Immunologic Testing on 18 Month Baby Case Study
Case Study A
An 18-month-old male has been brought to the emergency department with high fever, shortness of breath, and cough. The chid had been healthy until he was six months old. Since then, he has had four ear infections. He has been on antibiotics for several months because of the severity and recurrence of ear infections. He was recently taken off antibiotics. The boy’s blood culture reveals the presence of Streptococcus pneumoniae. Immunologic testing shows depressed levels of IgG, IgM and IgA antibodies in the serum. Flow cytometry results indicate an absence of circulating B lymphocytes. (Adapted from case study by Gary Hammer, MD, PhD; Stephen J. McPhee, MD; Yeong Kwok, MD)
- What is the likely diagnosis for this patient and why?
- Why was the child generally healthy until 6 months of age?
