Cellular immune factors associated with mother-to-infant transmission of HIV

• Published in: AIDS (London) Vol. 7; no. 11; p. 1427
• Main Authors: Clerici, M, Sison, A V, Berzofsky, J A, Rakusan, T A, Brandt, C D, Ellaurie, M, Villa, M, Colie, C, Venzon, D J, Sever, J L
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: England 01.11.1993
• Subjects: Adolescent; Adult; Amino Acid Sequence; Female; Fetal Blood; Gene Products, env - immunology; HIV - isolation & purification; HIV Antigens - immunology; HIV Infections - immunology; HIV Infections - transmission; Humans; Infant, Newborn; Interleukin-2 - biosynthesis; Molecular Sequence Data; Polymerase Chain Reaction; Pregnancy; Pregnancy Complications, Infectious - immunology; T-Lymphocytes, Helper-Inducer - immunology
• ISSN: 0269-9370
• DOI: 10.1097/00002030-199311000-00004

To study a possible correlate of protection in mother-to-infant transmission of HIV infection. In particular, to determine whether lack of HIV-specific T-helper (TH) function as indicated by HIV and non-HIV antigen-stimulated interleukin (IL)-2 production of mother and/or newborn peripheral blood leukocytes (PBL) is associated with mother-to-infant transmission of HIV. PBL from 21 HIV-seropositive pregnant women and 23 cord blood leukocytes (CBL) from their offspring were studied for in vitro TH function by IL-2 production in response to HIV and non-HIV antigens. Polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and viral culture assays were performed to determine HIV infection of the infants. PBL from 10 out of 21 (48%) mothers and from eight out of 23 (35%) CBL samples responded to two or more out of five synthetic gp 160 envelope (env) peptides. Three of the 23 (13%) offspring were shown to be HIV-infected by PCR and/or viral culture on follow-up. All three infected infants were from a subset whose CBL did not exhibit env-specific TH immunity. Our results demonstrate that fetal T cells can be primed to HIV env determinants in utero, suggest that HIV-specific TH immunity may be protective in newborns, and provide a possible means for identifying newborns who are at risk for HIV infection.