title: Immunologic activation during pregnancy: serial measurement of lymphocyte phenotype and serum activation molecules in HIV-infected and uninfected women.
abstract: Immunologic alterations occur during pregnancy, but the effect of pregnancy on HIV infection is controversial. We characterized some of the immunologic alterations with potential to influence HIV disease in 99 infected and 46 uninfected women during pregnancy and up to 6 months post-partum. Immunophenotyping to quantitate the major lymphocyte subsets and determine expression of activation and adhesion molecules on T cells was performed using 3-color staining and laser flow cytometry. Serum neopterin, beta 2-microglobulin, and tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF alpha) were quantitated using commercial immunoassays. HIV + pregnant women were compared to uninfected pregnant subjects and to reference ranges established on healthy, HIV-seronegative non-pregnant female controls. Both CD4 and CD8 T cell subsets were increased in HIV-negative pregnant women compared to non-pregnant controls. In HIV-infected pregnant women, CD4 T cells were low and CD8 cells were elevated compared to HIV-negative pregnant and non-pregnant women. Levels of subsets were stable during pregnancy and postpartum in both groups of women. Evidence of peripheral immune activation was found during the later stages of pregnancy. Increases in HLA-DR and CD38 activation antigens on CD8 cells, serum neopterin and beta-2-microglobulin were seen during pregnancy in HIV-negative women. These correlates of immune activation were increased in HIV-infected pregnant women and increased further during pregnancy, paralleling changes seen in uninfected pregnant women. These immunologic alterations may directly or indirectly enhance viral replication, impacting the long-term course of HIV disease.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatrics, Marion Davies Children's Center, UCLA School of Medicine 90095-1752, USA.
authors.forename: Y
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Mikyas
authors.forename: N
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Aziz
authors.forename: N
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Harawa
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Gorre
authors.forename: N
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Neagos
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Nogueira
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Wafer
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Dillon
authors.forename: P J
authors.initials: PJ
authors.lastname: Boyer
authors.forename: Y J
authors.initials: YJ
authors.lastname: Bryson
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Plaeger
mesh_terms: D001708:Biopterins / Q000031:analogs & derivatives / Q000097:blood; D018791:CD4 Lymphocyte Count; D015496:CD4-Positive T-Lymphocytes / Q000276:immunology; D018414:CD8-Positive T-Lymphocytes / Q000276:immunology; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D005260:Female; D015658:HIV Infections / Q000150:complications* / Q000276:immunology*; D006801:Humans; D008213:Lymphocyte Activation; D019798:Neopterin; D010641:Phenotype; D049590:Postpartum Period / Q000276:immunology; D011247:Pregnancy / Q000276:immunology*; D011251:Pregnancy Complications, Infectious / Q000276:immunology*; D016176:T-Lymphocyte Subsets / Q000276:immunology; D014409:Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha / Q000096:biosynthesis; D001613:beta 2-Microglobulin / Q000096:biosynthesis
chemical_list: D014409:Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha; D001613:beta 2-Microglobulin; D001708:Biopterins; D019798:Neopterin