title: CD4+CD25hiFOXP3+ cells in cord blood of neonates born from filaria infected mother are negatively associated with CD4+Tbet+ and CD4+RORγt+ T cells.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Children who have been exposed in utero to maternal filarial infection are immunologically less responsive to filarial antigens, have less pathology, and are more susceptible to acquire infection than offspring of uninfected mothers. Moreover children from filaria infected mothers have been shown to be less responsive to vaccination as a consequence of an impairment of their immune response. However, it is not well known how in utero exposure to parasite antigens affects cellular immune responses.
  
  
  METHODS
  Here, 30 pregnant women were examined for the presence of microfilaria of Loa loa and Mansonella perstans in peripheral blood. At delivery, cord blood mononuclear cells (CBMC) were obtained and the CD4+T cells were phenotyped by expression of the transcription factors Tbet, RORγt, and FOXP3.
  
  
  RESULTS
  No significant difference was observed between newborns from infected versus uninfected mothers in the frequencies of total CD4+T cells and CD4+T cells subsets including CD4+Tbet+, CD4+RORγt+ T and CD4+CD25hiFOXP3+ T cells. However, there was a negative association between CD4+CD25hiFOXP3+T cells and CD4+Tbet+ as well as CD4+RORγt+ T cells in the infected group only (B = -0.242, P = 0.002; B = -0.178, P = 0.013 respectively).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Our results suggest that filarial infection during pregnancy leads to an expansion of functionally active regulatory T cells that keep TH1 and TH17 in check.
authors.affiliation: Centre de Recherches Médicales de Lambaréné, BP 118, Lambaréné, Gabon; Department of Parasitology, Leiden University Medical Center, Albinusdreef 2 2333 ZA Leiden, The Netherlands; Institut für Tropenmedizin, Universität Tübingen, Wilhelmstraβe 27 D-72074 Tübingen, Germany.
authors.forename: Ulysse
authors.initials: U
authors.lastname: Ateba-Ngoa
authors.affiliation: Centre de Recherches Médicales de Lambaréné, BP 118, Lambaréné, Gabon; Department of Parasitology, Leiden University Medical Center, Albinusdreef 2 2333 ZA Leiden, The Netherlands; Institut für Tropenmedizin, Universität Tübingen, Wilhelmstraβe 27 D-72074 Tübingen, Germany; Département de Parasitologie-Mycologie, Université des Sciences de la Santé, BP 4009, Libreville, Gabon.
authors.forename: Ghyslain
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Mombo-Ngoma
authors.affiliation: Institut für Tropenmedizin, Universität Tübingen, Wilhelmstraβe 27 D-72074 Tübingen, Germany.
authors.forename: Eva
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Zettlmeissl
authors.affiliation: Department of Parasitology, Leiden University Medical Center, Albinusdreef 2 2333 ZA Leiden, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: Luciën E P M
authors.initials: LE
authors.lastname: van der Vlugt
authors.affiliation: Department of Parasitology, Leiden University Medical Center, Albinusdreef 2 2333 ZA Leiden, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: Sanne E
authors.initials: SE
authors.lastname: de Jong
authors.affiliation: Department of Parasitology, Leiden University Medical Center, Albinusdreef 2 2333 ZA Leiden, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: Sanne
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: de Jong
authors.affiliation: Centre de Recherches Médicales de Lambaréné, BP 118, Lambaréné, Gabon; Centre de Recherches Médicales de la Ngounié, Fougamou, Gabon.
authors.forename: Pierre-Blaise
authors.initials: PB
authors.lastname: Matsiegui
authors.affiliation: Centre de Recherches Médicales de Lambaréné, BP 118, Lambaréné, Gabon; Institut für Tropenmedizin, Universität Tübingen, Wilhelmstraβe 27 D-72074 Tübingen, Germany; Department of Medicine I, Division of Infectious Diseases and Tropical Medicine, Medical University of Vienna, Währinger Gürtel 18-20, 1090 Vienna, Austria.
authors.forename: Michael
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Ramharter
authors.affiliation: Centre de Recherches Médicales de Lambaréné, BP 118, Lambaréné, Gabon; Institut für Tropenmedizin, Universität Tübingen, Wilhelmstraβe 27 D-72074 Tübingen, Germany.
authors.forename: Peter G
authors.initials: PG
authors.lastname: Kremsner
authors.affiliation: Centre de Recherches Médicales de Lambaréné, BP 118, Lambaréné, Gabon; Department of Parasitology, Leiden University Medical Center, Albinusdreef 2 2333 ZA Leiden, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: Maria
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Yazdanbakhsh
authors.affiliation: Centre de Recherches Médicales de Lambaréné, BP 118, Lambaréné, Gabon; Department of Parasitology, Leiden University Medical Center, Albinusdreef 2 2333 ZA Leiden, The Netherlands; Institut für Tropenmedizin, Universität Tübingen, Wilhelmstraβe 27 D-72074 Tübingen, Germany.
authors.forename: Ayola Akim
authors.initials: AA
authors.lastname: Adegnika
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000818:Animals; D015496:CD4-Positive T-Lymphocytes / Q000166:cytology / Q000276:immunology / Q000378:metabolism*; D005260:Female; D005312:Fetal Blood / Q000166:cytology*; D051858:Forkhead Transcription Factors / Q000378:metabolism*; D006801:Humans; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D053645:Interleukin-2 Receptor alpha Subunit / Q000378:metabolism*; D008117:Loa / Q000254:growth & development / Q000502:physiology; D008366:Mansonella / Q000254:growth & development / Q000502:physiology; D008842:Microfilariae / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D009035:Mothers; D057132:Nuclear Receptor Subfamily 1, Group F, Member 3 / Q000378:metabolism*; D011247:Pregnancy; D020825:T-Box Domain Proteins / Q000378:metabolism*; D050378:T-Lymphocytes, Regulatory / Q000166:cytology / Q000276:immunology / Q000378:metabolism; D018417:Th1 Cells / Q000166:cytology / Q000276:immunology / Q000378:metabolism; D058504:Th17 Cells / Q000166:cytology / Q000276:immunology / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: C418974:FOXP3 protein, human; D051858:Forkhead Transcription Factors; D053645:Interleukin-2 Receptor alpha Subunit; D057132:Nuclear Receptor Subfamily 1, Group F, Member 3; D020825:T-Box Domain Proteins