Anergy during pregnancy.
OBJECTIVE
This study was undertaken to determine whether the prevalence of anergy is higher among pregnant women than among nonpregnant women.


METHODS
Sixty human immunodeficiency virus-seronegative women (n = 30 pregnant, n = 30 nonpregnant) from the Duke University Medical Center (Durham, North Carolina) clinic were enrolled. Skin tests were performed with purified protein derivative of tuberculin, Candida antigen, mumps antigen, and tetanus toxoid. A power calculation was done to determine adequate sample size, and data were analyzed with the Fisher exact test and the t test.


RESULTS
Three women in each group did not have a response to any of the antigens tested, for an anergy prevalence of 10%. Pregnant women were less likely to have a reaction to skin testing with tetanus toxoid than were nonpregnant women (10% vs 40%; P <.02).


CONCLUSIONS
Human immunodeficiency virus-seronegative pregnant women did not appear to have a higher prevalence of anergy than that seen among comparable nonpregnant women. Human immunodeficiency virus-seronegative pregnant women who are being evaluated with the purified protein derivative of tuberculin skin test are therefore unlikely to need anergy skin testing just because they are pregnant.
Jackson
T D
TD
Department of Maternal-Fetal Medicine, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, North Carolina 27710, USA.
Murtha
A P
AP
D000328:Adult; D000942:Antigens, Bacterial / Q000276:immunology; D000946:Antigens, Fungal / Q000276:immunology; D000956:Antigens, Viral / Q000276:immunology; D002175:Candida / Q000276:immunology; D017635:Clonal Anergy / Q000276:immunology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D006968:Hypersensitivity, Delayed / Q000276:immunology*; D009107:Mumps / Q000276:immunology; D011247:Pregnancy / Q000276:immunology*; D015995:Prevalence; D012016:Reference Values; D012882:Skin Tests; D014374:Tuberculin Test
D000942:Antigens, Bacterial; D000946:Antigens, Fungal; D000956:Antigens, Viral