title: IgM-antibodies against phosphorylcholine in mothers and normal or low birth weight term newborn infants.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To determine levels of athero-protective IgM antibodies against phosphorylcholine in mothers and term-born normal or low birth weight infants.
  
  
  METHODS
  Twenty three mother-infant pairs were studied, of whom 16 infants were within the normal weight range for gestational age (NGA; 3652[504] g) and 7 were small for gestational age (SGA; birth weight: 2715[255] g), the latter <2SD below the Swedish reference data mean for normal fetal growth. All infants were born at term (mean ± SD 40.5 ± 1.1 weeks). Serum was available from 6 mothers with SGA and 14 with NGA infants. Participating mothers were aged 34.0 ± 3.9 years (no difference between groups). Fourteen neonates were boys and seven were girls. Levels of anti-PC IgM were determined by ELISA.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Neonatal IgM anti-PC levels were low (undetectable in 8 infants out of which 3 were SGA) with a median of 76[range 0-2.51] U/ml. Maternal IgM anti-PC levels were significantly higher (median 7198[range: 25.32-656.0]) U/ml) and the proportion of mothers in highest quartile (>75th percentile) was larger in mothers of NGA-infants (43%) vs. those of SGA-infants (0%, p = 0.032).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  IgM anti-PC levels are low at birth, which suggests that these antibodies do not play a "housekeeping" role in immune function during fetal life/development, but arise predominately on exposure to external antigens after birth. Furthermore, low maternal IgM anti-PC levels may play a role in placental insufficiency, contributing to poor fetal growth and a small-for-date baby. This preliminary observation may have implications for the future risk of atherosclerosis/cardiovascular disease development in pregnant women and their offspring.
authors.affiliation: Unit of Immunology and Chronic Disease, Institute of Environmental Medicine, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden.
authors.forename: Anna G
authors.initials: AG
authors.lastname: Frostegård
authors.affiliation: Department of Medicine, Karolinska Institutet and Karolinska University Hospital, Huddinge, Sweden.
authors.forename: Beatrice G
authors.initials: BG
authors.lastname: Sjöberg
authors.affiliation: Unit of Immunology and Chronic Disease, Institute of Environmental Medicine, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden.
authors.forename: Johan
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Frostegård
authors.affiliation: Department of Clinical Science, Intervention and Technology, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden.
authors.forename: Mikael
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Norman
mesh_terms: D016022:Case-Control Studies; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007075:Immunoglobulin M / Q000097:blood*; D007230:Infant, Low Birth Weight / Q000097:blood* / Q000276:immunology; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D008297:Male; D010767:Phosphorylcholine / Q000276:immunology*
chemical_list: D007075:Immunoglobulin M; D010767:Phosphorylcholine