Reduction in C3 Conversion in Patients With Severe Thermal Injury

Alternative complement pathway activation increases mortality in a model of burn injury in mice.

“…Acting as a recognition systenm as well as a mediator systenm, this pathway thus may function to detect cell surface alterations (36 (16)(17)(18)(19)(20)(21)(22)(23)(24)(25)(26)(27). Heideman (25) demonstrated in vivo alternative pathway activation by thermally damaged tissue.…”

“…A number of investigators have noted hypocomplementemia after burn injury both in animals and in humans (15)(16)(17)(18)(19)(20)(21)(22)(23)(24)(25)(26)(27). We report new data in a murine model of thermal injury that demonstrate: (a) massive activation of the complement system in the initial two hours following injury; (b) the alternative pathway is the primary pathway of activation; (c) terminal complement components are not depleted to the same degree as is the initial alternative pathway activity; (d) significant in vitro neutrophil aggregating activity is found in the serum and plasma of burned animals; (e) neutrophil aggregation occurs in vivo in the lungs of burned animals; (f) the lungs of burned animals show evidence of increased edema formation, which is partly complement dependent and requires C5; and (g) prior complement depletion substantially increases survival from burn injury.…”

Evaluation of Opsonophagocytic Dysfunctions in Severely Burned Patients by Luminol‐Dependent Chemiluminescence

“…The levels of various opsonic proteins in the patient serum decreased after injury. The deficiencies of serum opsonic proteins in burn patients seem to be caused by extra-vascular leakage due to exacerbated vascular permeability after injury and consumption of plasma components such as immunoglobulins and complements (3,5,18). Disorder of synthesis of such components may also take place.…”

Surinfection par <i>Aspergillus </i>de brûlures graves

“…Facteurs susceptibles d'entraîner une moindre résistance du patient à l'aggression mycotique: les déséquilibres métaboliques avec acidose [23]; l'utilisation de certaines drogues: antibiotiques, corticostéroïdes; le stress [24]; diverses altérations de l'immuni té [3,13] parmi lesquelles on retiendra no tamment une diminution du chémotactisme des leucocytes [1,14]. La sollicitation exces sive du système immunologique, surtout par des germes gram négatifs, paraît souvent jouer un rôle prépondérant: des hémocultu res positives pour Pseudomonas sont fré quemment retrouvées avant que ne survien ne la surinfection mycotique [18,21], Stone et al [25], dans une étude de 18 cas de surin fection de brûlures graves par Aspergillus survenus en 15 ans, retrouvent une septicé mie par Pseudomonas dans 16 cas sur 18.…”