muramidase and Infant--Premature--Diseases

Lysozyme is an important component of the breast milk. In the gastrointestinal tract of infants it performs the function of a local protective factor. The efficacy of the use of milk enriched with lysozyme was studied in feeding of 64 premature infants suffering from concomitant diseases. This clinical and laboratory study was performed as a part of the combined treatment and prophylactic measures. Lysozyme was added to the donor breast milk or to the dry adapted acidophilic mixture "Malyutka" in an amount of 50 mg per 1 liter of the final product. 29 infants were feeded with such milk products for 14-21 days of the observation period. The control group included 12 infants with artificial feeding and 23 infants feeded with the above milk products without addition of lysozyme. In spite of the significant differences in the initial state of the infants, a favourable effect of the feeding with addition of lysozyme was shown. It was comparable to the feeding with the breast milk. Improvement of the general state of the infants and the pathological processes in them, an increase in the body weight, more rapid sanation of the infectious inflammatory foci, normalization of the stool, stabilization of the lysozyme levels in the coprofiltrates and a tendency to normalization of the increased levels of lysozyme in the blood serum were observed. Satisfactory tolerance of the lysozyme enriched milk products was shown.

Topics: Anti-Bacterial Agents; Breast Feeding; Drug Evaluation; Feces; Food, Fortified; Humans; Infant; Infant Food; Infant, Newborn; Infant, Premature; Infant, Premature, Diseases; Muramidase

Topics: Anti-Bacterial Agents; Antibody Formation; Complement System Proteins; Humans; Immunoglobulins; Infant, Newborn; Infant, Premature; Infant, Premature, Diseases; Muramidase; Sepsis; Staphylococcal Infections

Serum levels of lysozyme were studied in 43 term and 36 premature newborns. Levels in premature babies were found to be significantly (p less than 0,001) lower than those of matures. Observation over two weeks revealed a rise of serum lysozyme in premature babies and a decline in mature newborns. The level seems to depend upon the turnover of neutrophile granulocytes. In 5 premature babies with clinical signs of sepsis the serum lysozyme concentrations were significantly (p less than 0,01) lower than those in healthy prematures. It is assumed that the activity of the intraneutrophilic lysozyme in patients with bacterial infections is reduced to as little as 50%. Urine controls for lysozyme in 43 newborns (mature and premature) did not show evidence of measurable lysozyme concentrations.

Topics: Age Factors; Humans; Infant, Newborn; Infant, Premature; Infant, Premature, Diseases; Muramidase; Neutrophils; Sepsis

Topics: Complement System Proteins; Humans; Infant, Newborn; Infant, Newborn, Diseases; Infant, Premature; Infant, Premature, Diseases; Muramidase; Phagocytosis