Abstract

Congenital deficiency of C3 fraction of the complement is a very rare condition. Clinically it is expressed as a deficiency of the humoral immunity. We report a case of C3 and C4 deficiency in a 1 year old infant girl. Her parents have a high consanguinity. She presented an acute meningoencephalitis of unknown etiology, and she evolved with severe neurological damage, and recurrent respiratory and urinary bacterial infections, sepsis and osteomielitis, with partial response to antimicrobials. The tests to investigate humoral and cellular immune response (lymphocyte subpopulations, serum immunoglobulins and subtypes of IgG) were normal. The patient had a deficit of C3 and C4, mainly C3, with absence of CH50. Both of her parents had C3 and C4 about 50% of normal values, and CH50 slightly under the normal values