In this form of the disorder, the ability of the lymphocytes in your bloodstream to gather around and kill invading organisms is decreased. As a result, your resistance to infections caused by fungi, certain viruses, and the type of bacteria that causes tuberculosis is impaired. It is possible to have both general types of immunodeficiency at the same time. There are many types of inherited defects of the immune system. If you are born with one of these, you are susceptible to certain type of infections.
Many diseases also impair the functioning of the immune system.
These diseases include the leukemias, the lymphomas, and Hodgkin's disease, cancer in general, diabetes mellitus, and uremia. If your child has an inherited deficiency of antibody production, injections of antibodies taken from other people may be helpful. This treatment must be repeated for your child every few weeks. In another form of immunodeficiency, lymphocytes taken from the person are infected with a harmless virus linked to a normal gene for the enzyme that is defective. This treatment is highly experimental but offers great promise.