Infants with SCID are very susceptible to opportunistic infection. For the first few months of life, a child with SCID is protected by antibodies in the mother’s blood[9]. They show symptoms of many infections which generally don’t strike young infants. The infections of the infants with SCID can be much more serious and even more life threatening and may include pneumonia, meningitis or bloodstream infections.[8]
The organism that are usually not causes any harmful effects on normal children may prove to be dangerous to immune compromised children suffering from SCID. Among the most dangerous is an organism called Pneumocystis jiroveci which can cause a rapidly fatal pneumonia (PCP) if not treated or diagnosed properly.[3]
The cytomegalovirus that is found as a natural flora in our salivary glands can also possess potential risk to SCID suffering children. A simple bout of chicken pox can also drastically affect them.
Infants are normally vaccinated with live attenuated viruses. But those with SCID can suffer from infections from these viruses. Fungal diseases like Candida fungal infection that usually affect the mouth of infants are common in most babies [3] . Yeast infection is also seen in diaper areas. Occasionally deep abscesses occur, which are pocket of pus that forms around infections in the skin or in the body.[8]
Infants with SCID lose weight and suffer from malnutrition when they suffer from prolonged diarrhoea. They may also encounter some skin problems, meningitis and sepsis. SCID infants may also have rash that may be diagnosed as eczema, but is actually caused by a reaction of the mother’s T-cells (that enter SCID baby’s circulation before birth) against the baby’s tissues. This is called graft –versus host disease (GVHD).[3]
