Lung Function and Bacterial Proliferation in Experimental Neonatal Pneumonia in Ventilated Rabbits Exposed to Monoclonal Antibody to Surfactant Protein A

Surfactant protein A (SP-A) increases the resistance of surfactant to inhibition by plasma and other proteins. In a previous study we found that a monoclonal anti-SP-A antibody (R 5) increased the sensitivity of surfactant to inhibition by fibrinogen in vivo and in vitro. SP-A has been shown to stimulate microbial phagocytosis and killing by alveolar macrophages. We hypothesized that using R 5 to inactivate SP-A in an animal model mimicking congenital group B streptococcal (GBS) pneumonia might result in increased bacterial proliferation and a deterioration in lung function. Newborn near term rabbits were delivered by Cesarean section, anesthetized, tracheotomized, and ventilated for 5 h in a plethysmograph system allowing measurement of dynamic lung-thorax compliance. Postnatally the animals received one intratracheal injection (5 ml/kg) of R 5, nonspecific IgG, or normal saline. At 30 min all animals received a standard dose of an encapsulated GBS strain by intratracheal injection. The number of bacteria (mean log₁₀ CFU/g lung ± S.D.; CFU = colony forming unit) was evaluated in lung homogenates. Histologic lung sections were judged by light microscopy. Bacterial proliferation was similar in rabbits treated with the monoclonal antibody (9.33 ± 0.39; n= 14) and in control animals receiving saline (9.16 ± 0.35; n= 14) or nonspecific IgG (9.26 ± 0.31; n= 11). No significant differences were noted on the histologic analysis or in measurements of lung function. We conclude that intratracheal instillation of a monoclonal anti-SP-A antibody did not increase bacterial proliferation in GBS-infected newborn rabbits. These findings suggest that SP-A does not play an important role in protection against encapsulated GBS strains in the neonatal period. Accepted for publication: 20 June 1997