IRON-BINDING PROTEINS IN SPUTUM OF CHRONIC-BRONCHITIS PATIENTS WITH HAEMOPHILUS-INFLUENZAE INFECTIONS

Airway inflammation during infection is associated with increased tran sudation of serum proteins and increased production of protein by the airway epithelium. We therefore, assessed whether Haemophilus influenz ae infections in patients with chronic bronchitis are associated with increased levels of transferrin and lactoferrin in the sputum compared to uninfected patients. Sputum sol phase and serum samples from 14 in fected and 13 uninfected patients with chronic bronchitis and from 12 bronchial asthma patients were included in the study. The median Q-val ues (the concentration in sputum sol phase/the concentration in serum) x 10(3) of transferrin appeared increased in chronic bronchitis patie nts with an H. influenzae infection (26.0, n=13) compared to uninfecte d controls (9.5, n=11) and bronchial asthma patients (4.5, n=6), The r atio of the Q(transferrin)/Q(albumin) was >1 in infected chronic bronc hitis patients, indicating local production of transferrin. Growth of H. influenzae was stimulated more in sputum from infected and uninfect ed patients with chronic bronchitis than in sputum from patients with bronchial asthma, The concentrations of lactoferrin were not significa ntly different in infected (n=14) and uninfected (n=13) chronic bronch itis patients and bronchial asthma patients (n=12) (median 137.4, 84.6 , 87.1 mg.(L-1), respectively). We conclude that in patients with chro nic bronchitis with Haemophilus influenzae infections, the levels of t ransferrin are increased and the levels of lactoferrin are not associa ted with infections.