Type-specific antiviral antibodies to genital human papillomavirus types in mothers and newborns.
Type-specific antibodies to human papillomaviruses (HPVs) can be detected in most infected adult patients, and they have virus-neutralizing properties. However, there is a dearth of information on the seroprevalence of maternal and neonatal antibodies to HPV capsid antigens. Sera from 104 mothers, their newborns, and 3 twin pregnancies were analyzed by an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) for the presence of specific IgG, IgM, and IgA antibodies to virus-like particles of HPV-6, -11, -16, -18, and -31. Maternal IgG positivity rates to HPV types 6, 11, 16, 18, and 31 were 23.1%, 2.9%, 8.7%, 5.8%, and 9.6%, respectively. Neonatal rates did not differ significantly, and individual IgG ELISA values of mothers and their infants and all paired twins showed a very high correlation. In contrast, nearly all IgM and IgA individual values in newborns were designated negative, whereas mothers' positivity rates ranged as high as 19.2%. Infants showed no HPV-related lesions at birth or at 4-year follow-up. Seven of 8 tested children lost IgG HPV antibodies in a follow-up examination. Similar anti-HPV IgG seropositivity in mothers and newborns and a lack of neonatal IgA and IgM together with twin and follow-up results indicate that neonatal IgG is not a sign of intrauterine HPV infection but, rather, maternofetal antibody transmission.
Heim
Kurt
K
Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Medical University Innsbruck, Austria. heim_kurt@yahoo.com
Hudelist
Gernot
G
Geier
Andrea
A
Szedenik
Hannes
H
Christensen
Neil D
ND
Concin
Nicole
N
Bergant
Anton
A
Volgger
Birgit
B
Czerwenka
Klaus
K
Höpfl
Reinhard
R
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000914:Antibodies, Viral / Q000097:blood* / Q000276:immunology; D000918:Antibody Specificity; D004797:Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D008297:Male; D027383:Papillomaviridae / Q000276:immunology*; D030361:Papillomavirus Infections / Q000276:immunology*; D011247:Pregnancy; D018709:Statistics, Nonparametric; D014412:Tumor Virus Infections / Q000276:immunology*
D000914:Antibodies, Viral