title: Immunity to antigens associated with primate C-type oncoviruses in pregnant women.
abstract: Cell-mediated and humoral immune responses against antigens associated with primate C-type oncoviruses were evaluated in humans by microcytotoxicity and radioimmunoprecipitation assays. Five of six women tested sequentially during pregnancy developed selective cell-mediated reactivity against baboon endogenous virus (BEV)--infected human fibroblasts. Responsiveness peaked during the second and third trimesters and corresponded temporally with elevated antibody levels to BEV antigens. Similar cell-mediated reactivity was not observed in nonpregnant individuals. Selective cell-mediated reactivity directed against cells infected with the simian sarcoma virus-simian sarcoma associated virus complex (SSV--SSAV) was observed in four of 20 healthy adults (three of 14 nonpregnant, one of six pregnant). These observations suggest that cell-mediated reactivity against primate C-type oncoviruses is occasionally detected in healthy nonpregnant adults, but that during pregnancy both cell-mediated and humoral reactivity against BEV may become selectively expressed.
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000914:Antibodies, Viral / Q000032:analysis*; D000956:Antigens, Viral; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007111:Immunity, Cellular; D010215:Papio / Q000382:microbiology; D011247:Pregnancy; D011261:Pregnancy Trimester, First; D011262:Pregnancy Trimester, Second; D011263:Pregnancy Trimester, Third; D012190:Retroviridae / Q000276:immunology*; D012842:Sarcoma Virus, Woolly Monkey / Q000276:immunology
chemical_list: D000914:Antibodies, Viral; D000956:Antigens, Viral