Question

Caleb recovered without incident, but because there are millions of cases of ear infections every year in the U.S., Dr. Trapper wanted to make sure that this would not be the first of many recurrent ear infections for his son. He wanted to ensure that Caleb did not have an underlying immunodeficiency that would cause his future responses to fight antigens suboptimally. He asked the physician to do a serology analysis of Caleb, which consisted of probing for each antibody isotype found and to report how much is present. The analysis yielded the following results. What might you conclude from this?

1) Caleb has a B cell deficiency
2) Caleb has a normal response
3) Caleb has SCID
4) Caleb has a T cell deficiency
5) Caleb has an autoimmune disorder

Answer 1

Serology analysis assesses antibody levels to determine immune response or immunodeficiency. Normal antibody levels suggest normal response; low levels might indicate B cell deficiency, SCID, or T cell deficiency. Without data on antibody levels, no conclusion about Caleb's immune condition can be made.

Step-by-step explanation:

The serology analysis looking at antibody isotype would help determine whether Caleb has a normal immune response or an underlying immunodeficiency that could lead to recurrent ear infections. If the analysis shows normal levels of antibodies, it suggests a normal response to antigens. If there is a B cell deficiency, you'd expect to see low levels of antibodies since B cells are responsible for producing them. As for combine immunodeficiency (SCID), which affects both B and T cells, serology would reveal very low or absent antibodies, as well as impaired cell-mediated responses, making option three a possibility if the analysis fits this description. A T cell deficiency would affect cell-mediated immunity more than antibody levels. Lastly, an autoimmune disorder would not necessarily be indicated by antibody levels alone, and is not related to the scenario presented.

Based on the fact that Caleb recovered without incident and there is no mention of abnormal levels of any specific antibodies, without further data, one cannot definitively determine the status of his immune system from the information provided.