Association of Selective Antibody Deficiency in Patients with Mannose-Binding Lectin Deficiency

Abstract

RATIONALE: Mannose-binding lectin (MBL) deficiency is relatively common, with deficiency found in ∼7% of the general population. Most individuals with MBL deficiency, however, are clinically unaffected due to protective antibody adaptive immune system compensation and therefore may never present for evaluation of recurrent infections. We sought to identify any associated immunologic abnormalities in our patients with MBL deficiency that may have influenced their clinical presentation and resulted in referral for immune evaluation.