[A state of innate and adaptive immunity in children with schizophrenia and in the high-risk group for the disease].
Leukocyte elastase (LE) activity, alpha1-proteinase inhibitor (alpha1-PI), C-reactive protein (CRP) as the indices of innate immunity and the level of autoantibodies to nerve growth factor (Aab-NGF) and to basic myelin protein (Aab-BMP) as the indices of adaptive immunity have been studied in the blood serum of 40 children at high risk for schizophrenia and in 32 children with schizophrenia. In the high-risk group, an increase both of the LE activity, CRP content and variance of alpha1-PI concentrations, indicating the activation of innate immunity, was found. LE activity correlated with severity of schizotypal diathesis. The development of schizophrenic process is accompanied by generalization of the immune response: along with activation of the innate immunity, there was activation of immunity acquired as an increase of the level of autoantibodies to neuroantigenes. It is suggested that activation of innate and adaptive immunity is related to the processes determining the disturbances of the nervous system development.