Increase of cord blood cytokine-producing T cells in intrauterine infection.
BACKGROUND
Although infection is a frequent and important cause of morbidity and mortality in the neonatal period, evaluation of the immune system in cases of intrauterine infection is not easy. The subsets of T helper (Th) 1, which produce mainly interferon gamma (IFN-gamma), and Th2, which produce interleukin (IL) -4, have been implicated in the regulation of many immune responses. In this study, we investigated Th1 and Th2 subsets in the cord blood (CB) to evaluate the role of CB T cells in the intrauterine infections.


METHODS
We used an intracellular cytokine-staining technique with determination by flow cytometry to study IFN-gamma-producing T cells and IL-4-producing T cells in the CB of six neonates with perinatal intrauterine infection and 17 uninfected neonates.


RESULTS
The CB from neonates with intrauterine infections had more IFN-gamma-producing CD3+T cells than that from uninfected neonates. The percentage of CB IFN-gamma-producing CD3+T cells in the infected neonates correlated with the duration of membrane rupture before the onset of labor, but not with the level of C-reactive protein. The infected neonate born after the longest duration of membrane rupture showed an increased percentage of IL-4-producing CD3+T cells.


CONCLUSIONS
Our results suggest that the increase of CB IFN-gamma and IL-4- producing T cells is part of the immune system directed against perinatal intrauterine infections.
Matsuoka
T
T
Department of Pediatrics, Yamaguchi University School of Medicine, Yamaguchi, Japan.
Matsubara
T
T
Katayama
K
K
Takeda
K
K
Koga
M
M
Furukawa
S
S
D005260:Female; D005312:Fetal Blood / Q000276:immunology*; D005434:Flow Cytometry / Q000379:methods; D005865:Gestational Age; D006801:Humans; D007156:Immunologic Memory; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D007371:Interferon-gamma / Q000096:biosynthesis / Q000378:metabolism*; D015847:Interleukin-4 / Q000096:biosynthesis; D011247:Pregnancy; D011251:Pregnancy Complications, Infectious / Q000097:blood / Q000276:immunology*; D018417:Th1 Cells / Q000166:cytology / Q000276:immunology*; D018418:Th2 Cells / Q000166:cytology / Q000276:immunology*
D015847:Interleukin-4; D007371:Interferon-gamma