SURFACTANT ABNORMALITIES IN INFANTS WITH SEVERE VIRAL BRONCHIOLITIS

To determine whether abnormalities of pulmonary surfactant occur in in fants with acute viral bronchiolitis, surfactant indices were measured in lung lavage fluid from 12 infants with severe bronchiolitis and ei ght infants without lung disease. Compared with controls, the bronchio litis group showed deficiency of surfactant protein A (1.02 v 14.4 mu g/ml) and disaturated phosphatidylcholine (35 v 1060 mu g/ml) which re solved as the disease improved. Surfactant functional activity was als o impaired (minimum surface tension 22 v 17 mN/m). These findings indi cate that surfactant abnormalities occur in bronchiolitis, and may rep resent one of the pathophysiological mechanisms causing airway obstruc tion.