Immunodeficiencies: Significance for Gastrointestinal Disease

Primary immunodeficiency diseases (PIDs) represent a heterogeneous group of genetically determined disorders that influence the development and function of different components of adaptive and innate immunity. PIDs include antibody deficiencies (IgA deficiency, common variable immunodeficiency, X-linked agammaglobulinemia, and the hyper IgM syndrome) and combined B-cell and T-cell deficiencies, the most serious form being severe combined immunodeficiency (SCID). In the chapter, a summary of the gastrointestinal infections of viral origin, associated with the most common forms of PIDs is presented. The risk of infection by live polio and rotavirus vaccine strains and the importance of early diagnosis of PID in the context of oral vaccination is assessed.