14 research outputs found
HIV infection and placental malaria reduce maternal transfer of multiple antimalarial antibodies in Mozambican women
Objectives: Maternal Plasmodium falciparum-specific antibodies may contribute to protect infants against severe malaria. Our main objective was to evaluate the impact of maternal HIV infection and placental malaria on the cord blood levels and efficiency of placental transfer of IgG and IgG subclasses. Methods: In a cohort of 341 delivering HIV-negative and HIV-positive mothers from southern Mozambique, we measured total IgG and IgG subclasses in maternal and cord blood pairs by quantitative suspension array technology against eight P. falciparum antigens: Duffy-binding like domains 3-4 of VAR2CSA from the erythrocyte membrane protein 1, erythrocyte-binding antigen 140, exported protein 1 (EXP1), merozoite surface proteins 1, 2 and 5, and reticulocyte-binding-homologue-4.2 (Rh4.2). We performed univariable and multivariable regression models to assess the association of maternal HIV infection, placental malaria, maternal variables and pregnancy outcomes on cord antibody levels and antibody transplacental transfer. Results: Maternal antibody levels were the main determinants of cord antibody levels. HIV infection and placental malaria reduced the transfer and cord levels of IgG and IgG1, and this was antigen-dependent. Low birth weight was associated with an increase of IgG2 in cord against EXP1 and Rh4.2. Conclusions: We found lower maternally transferred antibodies in HIV-exposed infants and those born from mothers with placental malaria, which may underlie increased susceptibility to malaria in these children. © 2021 The British Infection Associatio
HIV infection and placental malaria reduce maternal transfer of multiple antimalarial antibodies in Mozambican women
Objectives: Maternal Plasmodium falciparum-specific antibodies may contribute to protect infants against severe malaria. Our main objective was to evaluate the impact of maternal HIV infection and placental malaria on the cord blood levels and efficiency of placental transfer of IgG and IgG subclasses.Methods: In a cohort of 341 delivering HIV-negative and HIV-positive mothers from southern Mozambique, we measured total IgG and IgG subclasses in maternal and cord blood pairs by quantitative suspension array technology against eight P. falciparum antigens: Duffy-binding like domains 3-4 of VAR2CSA from the erythrocyte membrane protein 1, erythrocyte-binding antigen 140, exported protein 1 (EXP1), merozoite surface proteins 1, 2 and 5, and reticulocyte-binding-homologue-4.2 (Rh4.2). We performed univariable and multivariable regression models to assess the association of maternal HIV infection, placental malaria, maternal variables and pregnancy outcomes on cord antibody levels and antibody transplacental transfer.Results: Maternal antibody levels were the main determinants of cord antibody levels. HIV infection and placental malaria reduced the transfer and cord levels of IgG and IgG1, and this was antigen-dependent. Low birth weight was associated with an increase of IgG2 in cord against EXP1 and Rh4.2.Conclusions: We found lower maternally transferred antibodies in HIV-exposed infants and those born from mothers with placental malaria, which may underlie increased susceptibility to malaria in these children
Reduced Placental Transfer of Antibodies Against a Wide Range of Microbial and Vaccine Antigens in HIV-Infected Women in Mozambique.
Transplacental transfer of antibodies is essential for conferring protection in newborns against infectious diseases. We assessed the impact of different factors, including gestational age and maternal infections such as HIV and malaria, on the efficiency of cord blood levels and placental transfer of IgG subclasses. We measured total IgG and IgG subclasses by quantitative suspension array technology against 14 pathogens and vaccine antigens, including targets of maternal immunization, in 341 delivering HIV-uninfected and HIV-infected mother-infant pairs from southern Mozambique. We analyzed the association of maternal HIV infection, Plasmodium falciparum exposure, maternal variables and pregnancy outcomes on cord antibody levels and transplacental transfer. Our results show that maternal antibody levels were the main determinant of cord antibody levels. Univariable and multivariable analysis showed that HIV reduced the placental transfer and cord levels of IgG and IgG1 principally, but also IgG2 to half of the antigens tested. P. falciparum exposure and prematurity were negatively associated with cord antibody levels and placental transfer, but this was antigen-subclass dependent. Our findings suggest that lower maternally transferred antibodies may underlie increased susceptibility to infections of HIV-exposed infants. This could affect efficacy of maternal vaccination, especially in sub-Saharan Africa, where there is a high prevalence of HIV, malaria and unfavorable environmental factors
High production of pro-inflammatory cytokines by maternal blood mononuclear cells is associated with reduced maternal malaria but increased cord blood infection
BACKGROUND: Increased susceptibility to malaria during pregnancy
is not completely understood. Cellular immune responses mediate
both pathology and immunity but the effector responses involved
in these processes have not been fully characterized. Maternal
and fetal cytokine and chemokine responses to malaria at
delivery, and their association with pregnancy and childhood
outcomes, were investigated in 174 samples from a mother and
child cohort from Mozambique. Peripheral and cord mononuclear
cells were stimulated with Plasmodium falciparum lysate and
secretion of IL-12p70, IFN-gamma, IL-2, IL-10, IL-8, IL-6, IL-4,
IL-5, IL-1beta, TNF, TNF-beta was quantified in culture
supernatants by multiplex flow cytometry while cellular mRNA
expression of IFN-gamma, TNF, IL-2, IL-4, IL-6, IL-10 and IL-13
was measured by quantitative PCR. RESULTS: Higher concentrations
of IL-6 and IL-1beta were associated with a reduced risk of P.
falciparum infection in pregnant women (p < 0.049).
Pro-inflammatory cytokines IL-6, IL-1beta and TNF strongly
correlated among themselves (rho > 0.5, p < 0.001). Higher
production of IL-1beta was significantly associated with
congenital malaria (p < 0.046) and excessive TNF was
associated with peripheral infection and placental lesions (p
< 0.044). CONCLUSIONS: Complex network of immuno-pathological
cytokine mechanisms in the placental and utero environments
showed a potential trade-off between positive and negative
effects on mother and newborn susceptibility to infection
Plasmodium falciparum-Specific Cellular Immune Responses after Immunization with the RTS,S/AS02D Candidate Malaria Vaccine in Infants Living in an Area of High Endemicity in Mozambique ▿
Results from clinical trials in areas where malaria is endemic have shown that immunization with RTS,S/AS02A malaria vaccine candidate induces partial protection in adults and children and cellular effector and memory responses in adults. For the first time in a malaria vaccine trial, we sought to assess the cell-mediated immune responses to RTS,S antigen components in infants under 1 year of age participating in a clinical phase I/IIb trial of RTS,S/AS02D in Mozambique. Circumsporozoite protein (CSP)-specific responses were detected in approximately half of RTS,S-immunized infants and included gamma interferon (IFN-γ), interleukin-2 (IL-2), and combined IL-2/IL-4 responses. The median stimulation indices of cytokine-producing CD4+ and CD8+ cells were very low but significantly higher in RTS,S-immunized infants than in infants that received the comparator vaccine. Protection against subsequent malarial infection tended to be associated with a higher percentage of individuals with CSP-specific IL-2 in the supernatant (P = 0.053) and with higher CSP-specific IFN-γ-producing CD8+ T-cell responses (P = 0.07). These results report for the first time the detection of malaria-specific cellular immune responses after vaccination of infants less than 1 year of age and pave the way for future field studies of cellular immunity to malaria vaccine candidates
High production of pro-inflammatory cytokines by maternal blood mononuclear cells is associated with reduced maternal malaria but increased cord blood infection
BACKGROUND: Increased susceptibility to malaria during pregnancy
is not completely understood. Cellular immune responses mediate
both pathology and immunity but the effector responses involved
in these processes have not been fully characterized. Maternal
and fetal cytokine and chemokine responses to malaria at
delivery, and their association with pregnancy and childhood
outcomes, were investigated in 174 samples from a mother and
child cohort from Mozambique. Peripheral and cord mononuclear
cells were stimulated with Plasmodium falciparum lysate and
secretion of IL-12p70, IFN-gamma, IL-2, IL-10, IL-8, IL-6, IL-4,
IL-5, IL-1beta, TNF, TNF-beta was quantified in culture
supernatants by multiplex flow cytometry while cellular mRNA
expression of IFN-gamma, TNF, IL-2, IL-4, IL-6, IL-10 and IL-13
was measured by quantitative PCR. RESULTS: Higher concentrations
of IL-6 and IL-1beta were associated with a reduced risk of P.
falciparum infection in pregnant women (p < 0.049).
Pro-inflammatory cytokines IL-6, IL-1beta and TNF strongly
correlated among themselves (rho > 0.5, p < 0.001). Higher
production of IL-1beta was significantly associated with
congenital malaria (p < 0.046) and excessive TNF was
associated with peripheral infection and placental lesions (p
< 0.044). CONCLUSIONS: Complex network of immuno-pathological
cytokine mechanisms in the placental and utero environments
showed a potential trade-off between positive and negative
effects on mother and newborn susceptibility to infection
IgM and IgG against Plasmodium falciparum lysate as surrogates of malaria exposure and protection during pregnancy
BACKGROUND: Difficulties to disentangle the protective versus
exposure role of anti-malarial antibodies hamper the
identification of clinically-relevant immune targets. Here,
factors affecting maternal IgG and IgMs against Plasmodium
falciparum antigens, as well as their relationship with parasite
infection and clinical outcomes, were assessed in mothers and
their children. Antibody responses among 207 Mozambican pregnant
women at delivery against MSP119, EBA175, AMA1, DBLalpha and
parasite lysate (3D7, R29 and E8B parasite lines), as well as
the surface of infected erythrocytes, were assessed by
enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay and flow cytometry. The
relationship between antibody levels, maternal infection and
clinical outcomes was assessed by multivariate regression
analysis. RESULTS: Placental infection was associated with an
increase in maternal levels of IgGs and IgMs against a broad
range of parasite antigens. The multivariate analysis including
IgGs and IgMs showed that the newborn weight increased with
increasing IgG levels against a parasite lysate, whereas the
opposite association was found with IgMs. IgGs are markers of
protection against poor pregnancy outcomes and IgMs of parasite
exposure. CONCLUSIONS: Adjusting the analysis for the
simultaneous effect of IgMs and IgGs can contribute to account
for heterogeneous exposure to P. falciparum when assessing
immune responses effective against malaria in pregnancy
IgM and IgG against Plasmodium falciparum lysate as surrogates of malaria exposure and protection during pregnancy
BACKGROUND: Difficulties to disentangle the protective versus
exposure role of anti-malarial antibodies hamper the
identification of clinically-relevant immune targets. Here,
factors affecting maternal IgG and IgMs against Plasmodium
falciparum antigens, as well as their relationship with parasite
infection and clinical outcomes, were assessed in mothers and
their children. Antibody responses among 207 Mozambican pregnant
women at delivery against MSP119, EBA175, AMA1, DBLalpha and
parasite lysate (3D7, R29 and E8B parasite lines), as well as
the surface of infected erythrocytes, were assessed by
enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay and flow cytometry. The
relationship between antibody levels, maternal infection and
clinical outcomes was assessed by multivariate regression
analysis. RESULTS: Placental infection was associated with an
increase in maternal levels of IgGs and IgMs against a broad
range of parasite antigens. The multivariate analysis including
IgGs and IgMs showed that the newborn weight increased with
increasing IgG levels against a parasite lysate, whereas the
opposite association was found with IgMs. IgGs are markers of
protection against poor pregnancy outcomes and IgMs of parasite
exposure. CONCLUSIONS: Adjusting the analysis for the
simultaneous effect of IgMs and IgGs can contribute to account
for heterogeneous exposure to P. falciparum when assessing
immune responses effective against malaria in pregnancy
High production of pro-inflammatory cytokines by maternal blood mononuclear cells is associated with reduced maternal malaria but increased cord blood infection
BACKGROUND: Increased susceptibility to malaria during pregnancy
is not completely understood. Cellular immune responses mediate
both pathology and immunity but the effector responses involved
in these processes have not been fully characterized. Maternal
and fetal cytokine and chemokine responses to malaria at
delivery, and their association with pregnancy and childhood
outcomes, were investigated in 174 samples from a mother and
child cohort from Mozambique. Peripheral and cord mononuclear
cells were stimulated with Plasmodium falciparum lysate and
secretion of IL-12p70, IFN-gamma, IL-2, IL-10, IL-8, IL-6, IL-4,
IL-5, IL-1beta, TNF, TNF-beta was quantified in culture
supernatants by multiplex flow cytometry while cellular mRNA
expression of IFN-gamma, TNF, IL-2, IL-4, IL-6, IL-10 and IL-13
was measured by quantitative PCR. RESULTS: Higher concentrations
of IL-6 and IL-1beta were associated with a reduced risk of P.
falciparum infection in pregnant women (p < 0.049).
Pro-inflammatory cytokines IL-6, IL-1beta and TNF strongly
correlated among themselves (rho > 0.5, p < 0.001). Higher
production of IL-1beta was significantly associated with
congenital malaria (p < 0.046) and excessive TNF was
associated with peripheral infection and placental lesions (p
< 0.044). CONCLUSIONS: Complex network of immuno-pathological
cytokine mechanisms in the placental and utero environments
showed a potential trade-off between positive and negative
effects on mother and newborn susceptibility to infection
Data_Sheet_1_Reduced Placental Transfer of Antibodies Against a Wide Range of Microbial and Vaccine Antigens in HIV-Infected Women in Mozambique
Transplacental transfer of antibodies is essential for conferring protection in newborns against infectious diseases. We assessed the impact of different factors, including gestational age and maternal infections such as HIV and malaria, on the efficiency of cord blood levels and placental transfer of IgG subclasses. We measured total IgG and IgG subclasses by quantitative suspension array technology against 14 pathogens and vaccine antigens, including targets of maternal immunization, in 341 delivering HIV-uninfected and HIV-infected mother-infant pairs from southern Mozambique. We analyzed the association of maternal HIV infection, Plasmodium falciparum exposure, maternal variables and pregnancy outcomes on cord antibody levels and transplacental transfer. Our results show that maternal antibody levels were the main determinant of cord antibody levels. Univariable and multivariable analysis showed that HIV reduced the placental transfer and cord levels of IgG and IgG1 principally, but also IgG2 to half of the antigens tested. P. falciparum exposure and prematurity were negatively associated with cord antibody levels and placental transfer, but this was antigen-subclass dependent. Our findings suggest that lower maternally transferred antibodies may underlie increased susceptibility to infections of HIV-exposed infants. This could affect efficacy of maternal vaccination, especially in sub-Saharan Africa, where there is a high prevalence of HIV, malaria and unfavorable environmental factors