Important messages from this study are related to the long-term management of this condition. First, persistent and aggressive removal of surfactant filling the alveolar space may eliminate gas exchange abnormalities and consecutive sequelae including developmental and growth failure, and restricted level of performance due to respiratory limitation. Second, immune insufficiency, a Figure. 6 B) . Flow cytometric analysis of peripheral blood cells demonstrates the absence of the alpha-chain ( Figure. 6 C) . Isolated neutrophils were incubated with antibodies, washed with Dulbecco's PBS twice and measured by means of flow cytometry. Ten thousand cells were counted and analyzed by the FACSDiva software. Fc blocking and isotype controls were applied to exclude unspecific bindings. CD11b (mouse monoclonal IgG1, PE conjugated), CD116/GM-CSF-R alpha (mouse monoclonal IgG1, PE conjugated), CD131w/GM-CSF-R beta (mouse monoclonal IgG1, purified) and secondary antibody for CD131w (rat antimouse IgG1, PE-conjugated).