A patient with leukocyte adhesion defect

Abstract

During inflammation, leukocytes play a key role in maintaining tissue homeostasis by elimination of pathogens and removal of damaged tissues. Leukocytes migrate to the site of inflammation by crawling over and through the blood vessel wall, into the tissue. Leukocyte adhesion deficiencies (LAD 1, LAD 2 and LAD 3) are caused by defects in the adhesion of leukocyte to the blood vessel wall due to mutations in the genes encoding integrin, selectin and kindling-3, respectively. Patients experience recurrent none pus forming bacterial infections and neutrophilia, often preceded by delayed separation of umbilical cord. This case report describes a child who presented with umbilical sepsis followed by separation of the umbilical cord on day 15, and recurrent bacterial meningitis with high neutrophilia.