To test whether the presence of airway inflammatory markers differentiated babies with hyaline membrane disease (HMD) who recovered (n = 18) from those in whom bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD) developed (n = 18), tracheal aspirate samples from 36 newborn infants with HMD who underwent intubation were collected during days 1 to 28 of life and analyzed for the mucosal antimicrobial proteins lactoferrin and lysozyme. For babies with HMD in whom BPD developed, lactoferrin concentrations were decreased during the first 4 days of life (7 +/- 3, 14 +/- 3, 18 +/- 3, and 18 +/- 3 micrograms/ml, respectively) in comparison with those in babies with HMD who recovered (23 +/- 8, 29 +/- 6, 41 +/- 9, and 81 +/- 19 micrograms/ml); group differences reached statistical significance on days 3 and 4 (p less than 0.05). Lysozyme levels in the secretions of babies with BPD were also lower on day 3 (31 +/- 5 micrograms/ml) than in those of babies who recovered (54 +/- 7.5 micrograms/ml). For babies with BPD whose endotracheal tube remained in place beyond day 4, lysozyme levels on days 5 to 12 were significantly lower for those classified as having severe BPD than for those with mild to moderate BPD. Because lysozyme and lactoferrin are products of serous cells found in submucous glands, it seems possible that the relative immaturity of submucous glands may influence the development of BPD.