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. Author manuscript; available in PMC: 2021 Nov 1.
Published in final edited form as: Pediatr Transplant. 2020 Aug 26;24(7):e13795. doi: 10.1111/petr.13795

Table 1:

Innate immune cell markers and function in infants, and comparison with adults

Type of cells Differences from adults References
Neutrophils Higher numbers (13×109/L) just before birth, and return to adult levels within 72 hours.Lower adhesion, chemotaxis, and phagocytosis. Lower TLR-4 expression. 26,30
Monocytes/Macrophages Lower phagocytosis. Lower TLR-4 expression.Lower IL-12 and TNF-α secretion. 32,33
Dendritic cells(DCs) Lower numbers.Lower HLA class II and lower CD80/CD86 expression.Lower IL-12 secretion. 37
Natural killer cells(NK cells) Higher numbers.Lower IFN-γ secretion. 40,42

HLA = human leukocyte antigen IFN = interferon IL = interleukin TLR = toll like receptor