Long-term effect of prenatal exposure to maternal microfilaraemia on immune responsiveness to filarial parasite antigens

• Published in: The Lancet (British edition) Vol. 343; no. 8902; pp. 890 - 893
• Main Authors: Steel, C., McCarthy, J.S., Ottesen, E., Guinea, A.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: England Elsevier Ltd 09.04.1994; Elsevier Limited
• Subjects: Adolescent; Adult; Animals; Antigens, Helminth - immunology; Cytokines - physiology; Elephantiasis, Filarial - immunology; Female; Humans; Immunity (Disease); Infections; Leukocyte Count; Leukocytes - immunology; Lymphocytes; Male; Medical research; Microfilariae - immunology; Parasites; Pregnancy; Pregnancy Complications, Parasitic - immunology; Prenatal development; Prenatal Exposure Delayed Effects; Wuchereria bancrofti - immunology
• ISSN: 0140-6736; 1474-547X
• DOI: 10.1016/S0140-6736(94)90009-4

To identify long-term effects of prenatal exposure to maternal filarial-parasite infection, we assessed lymphocyte responses in 21 Polynesian children born 17-19 years previously to mothers diagnosed as being microfilaraemic or infection-free. All children lived on an island endemic for bancroftian filariasis but were free from infection at the time of study. While children (n=10) of infection-free mothers responded vigorously to microfilarial antigen with lymphocyte proliferation, production of interleukin 2 (IL-2), IL-5, IL-10, granulocyte macrophage colony-stimulating factor (GM-CSF), and interferon γ (IFN-γ), cellular hyporesponsiveness was seen in children (n=11) born to microfilaraemic mothers. The hyporesponsiveness appeared restricted to microfilarial antigens and did not extend to non-parasite antigens. These findings suggest that hyporesponsiveness resulted from in-utero acquisition of tolerance to microfilarial antigens in chronically-infected mothers.