title: Antigen-specific immune responses to influenza vaccine in utero.
abstract: Initial immune responses to allergens may occur before birth, thereby modulating the subsequent development of atopy. This paradigm remains controversial, however, due to the inability to identify antigen-specific T cells in cord blood. The advent of MHC tetramers has revolutionized the detection of antigen-specific T cells. Tetramer staining of cord blood after CMV infection has demonstrated that effective CD8(+) antigen-specific immune responses can follow intrauterine viral infections. We hypothesized that sensitization to antigens occurs in utero in humans. We studied cord blood B and T cell immune responses following vaccination against influenza during pregnancy. Anti-Fluzone and anti-matrix protein IgM antibodies were detected in 38.5% (27 of 70) and 40.0% (28 of 70), respectively, of cord blood specimens. Using MHC tetramers, HA-specific CD4(+) T cells were detected among 25.0% (3 of 12) and 42.9% (6 of 14) of cord blood specimens possessing DRB1*0101 and DRB1*0401 HLA types, respectively, and were detected even when the DRB1 HLA type was inherited from the father. Matrix protein-specific CD8(+) T cells were detected among 10.0% (2 of 20) of HLA-A*0201(+) newborns. These results suggest that B and T cell immune responses occur in the fetus following vaccination against influenza and have important implications for determining when immune responses to environmental exposures begin.
authors.affiliation: Children's Hospital at Montefiore, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, New York, New York, USA.
authors.forename: Deepa
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Rastogi
authors.forename: Chaodong
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.forename: Xia
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Mao
authors.forename: Cynthia
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Lendor
authors.forename: Paul B
authors.initials: PB
authors.lastname: Rothman
authors.forename: Rachel L
authors.initials: RL
authors.lastname: Miller
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001402:B-Lymphocytes / Q000276:immunology; D015331:Cohort Studies; D005260:Female; D005312:Fetal Blood / Q000276:immunology; D015234:HLA-A Antigens / Q000378:metabolism; D015789:HLA-A2 Antigen; D006684:HLA-DR Antigens / Q000378:metabolism; D059811:HLA-DRB1 Chains; D006801:Humans; D007112:Immunity, Maternally-Acquired; D007075:Immunoglobulin M / Q000097:blood; D066298:In Vitro Techniques; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D007252:Influenza Vaccines / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000276:immunology*; D008297:Male; D011247:Pregnancy; D013601:T-Lymphocytes / Q000276:immunology
chemical_list: D015234:HLA-A Antigens; C435939:HLA-A*02:01 antigen; D015789:HLA-A2 Antigen; D006684:HLA-DR Antigens; D059811:HLA-DRB1 Chains; C487961:HLA-DRB1*01:01 antigen; C553505:HLA-DRB1*04:01 antigen; D007075:Immunoglobulin M; D007252:Influenza Vaccines