Defective interferon-alpha production in children with recurrent respiratory tract infections. A primary or secondary deficiency?

Interferon-alpha and -gamma production was assayed in 44 children with recurrent respiratory tract infections, in 9 patients with recurrent stomatitis and in 32 control subjects. A partial, transitory deficiency in interferon-alpha production was found in 2 children with recurrent respiratory tract infections. The deficiency may be either cause or effect of the recurrent infections. Many data support the latter hypothesis.