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Pregnant women have attenuated innate interferon responses to the 2009 pandemic swine flu

tetano

Editor, Senior Moderator
J Infect Dis. 2012 Jun 12. [Epub ahead of print]
Pregnant women have attenuated innate interferon responses to the 2009 pandemic swine flu.
Forbes RL, Wark PA, Murphy VE, Gibson PG.
Source

Centre for Asthma and Respiratory Disease, School of Medicine and Public Health and Hunter Medical Research Institute, The University of Newcastle, Newcastle, 2308 Australia.
Abstract

Background. Pregnant women are considered a high risk category for influenza infection, though little is known of the biological reasons. Antiviral immunity is critical during influenza infection and understanding the changes that occur during pregnancy and the effect of vaccination is essential for improving health outcomes for mother and baby.Methods. Peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) were isolated from 26 healthy non-pregnant and 28 pregnant women and cultured with H1N1(2009). IFNα, IFNλ and IFNγ protein were measured from culture supernatant. mRNA expression of protein kinase R (PKR) and the Toll-like receptors (TLRs) 3, 7, and 9 was also measured from cell lysates.Results. PBMCs from pregnant women produced significantly less IFNα (114.06[287.99] pg/ml) and IFNλ (30.65[253.51] pg/ml) compared to non-pregnant PBMCs (800.38[1108.85] pg/ml and 479.87[744.60] pg/ml respectively, p<0.01). PKR expression was also significantly reduced in pregnant PBMCs (p<0.05). Vaccination significantly improved innate and adaptive immunity in pregnancy (p<0.01).Conclusion. PBMCs from non-vaccinated pregnant women have attenuated antiviral immunity following H1N1 stimulation, however vaccination improves this response. These novel findings help understand the increased susceptibility and disease severity to influenza infection during pregnancy and the importance of vaccination.

PMID:
22693225
[PubMed - as supplied by publisher]

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22693225
 
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