title: Altered cord blood gammadelta T cell repertoire in Nigeria: possible impacts of environmental factors on neonatal immunity.
abstract: Infectious diseases during pregnancy can impact the development of fetal immunity, leading to reduced neonatal resistance to infection and decreased responses to pediatric vaccines. Plasmodium falciparum causes placental infection in low parity pregnant women and is among the pathogens that affect fetal immunity. Recognizing the relationship between malaria and gammadelta T lymphocytes in adults, we asked whether neonatal gammadelta T cells would be altered in malaria-endemic regions as a marker for changes in fetal immunity. Our initial studies compared cord blood gammadelta T cells from deliveries to HIV- mothers in Jos (Nigeria) where malaria is endemic, or in Rome (Italy). We noted substantial differences in the Vgamma2 repertoire for cord blood collected in Jos or Rome; differences were consistent with a negative selection mechanism operating on the fetal Vgamma2 chain repertoire in neonates from Jos. A specific disruption affected the fraction of gammadelta T cells that we expect will respond to Bacille Calmette-Guerin (BCG). Fetal gammadelta T cell depletion might be a mechanism for impaired neonatal immunity and lowered responses to pediatric vaccines.
authors.affiliation: Institute of Human Virology, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD 21201, United States.
authors.forename: Cristiana
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Cairo
authors.forename: Nadia
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Propp
authors.forename: Giovanni
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Auricchio
authors.forename: Cheryl L
authors.initials: CL
authors.lastname: Armstrong
authors.forename: Alash'le
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Abimiku
authors.forename: Giorgio
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Mancino
authors.forename: Vittorio
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Colizzi
authors.forename: William
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Blattner
authors.forename: C David
authors.initials: CD
authors.lastname: Pauza
mesh_terms: D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D002999:Clone Cells; D004777:Environment; D005260:Female; D005312:Fetal Blood / Q000276:immunology*; D006801:Humans; D007109:Immunity / Q000276:immunology*; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D009549:Nigeria; D009711:Nucleotides; D016692:Receptors, Antigen, T-Cell, gamma-delta / Q000737:chemistry / Q000276:immunology*; D012384:Rome
chemical_list: D009711:Nucleotides; D016692:Receptors, Antigen, T-Cell, gamma-delta