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NeoReviews Vol.8 No.9 2007 e368
© 2007 American Academy of Pediatrics


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* Department of Pediatrics, University of South Alabama, Mobile, Ala
Department of Pediatrics, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Ala
Department of Paediatrics, Ealing Hospital, NHS Trust, London, United Kingdom
Department of Cell Biology, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Ala
Neutrophil development starts in the early second trimester in the human fetus and continues through the rest of the gestation. Preterm birth can interrupt the maturation of fetal neutrophils and place the preterm neonate at risk of life-threatening infections. Various developmental defects have been identified in preterm neutrophils, such as in the ability of circulating neutrophils to cross the endothelial barrier and abnormalities in chemotaxis, respiratory burst, and degranulation. The availability of recombinant human myeloid growth factors has renewed interest in understanding the mechanisms and natural history of such defects. In this article, we review various aspects of the developmental immaturity of preterm neutrophils.
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