Preterm infants' T cell responses to inactivated poliovirus vaccine.

Abstract

BACKGROUND:

The antigen-specific T cell responses of preterm infants to immunization are not well understood. The aim of the present study was to compare the T cell responses of preterm infants after inactivated poliovirus vaccination with those of term infants.

METHODS:

We prospectively enrolled 2-month-old preterm (gestational age, 33 weeks) and term (gestational age, 37 weeks) infants to receive 3 doses of diphtheria-tetanus toxoids-acellular pertussis-hepatitis B virus-inactivated poliovirus vaccine. Whole blood and peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) were stimulated with poliovirus vaccine, and memory T cell activation was analyzed by flow cytometry and lymphoproliferation, respectively. Levels of poliovirus neutralizing antibodies were measured in serum.

RESULTS:

We enrolled 33 preterm and 50 term infants. Preterm infants had fewer circulating CD4(+)CD45RO(+) memory (P = .005) and CD4(+)CD69(+)IFN-gamma(+) cells activated by staphylococcus enterotoxin B at 2 (P = .015) and 7 (P = .05) months of age. After immunization, preterm and term infants had comparable frequencies of poliovirus-specific CD4(+)CD45RO(+)CD69(+)IFN-gamma(+) memory T cells (P = .79). PBMCs from preterm infants had diminished poliovirus-specific lymphoproliferation (P<.001). Although all infants developed seroprotective poliovirus antibody titers, serotype 1 titers were lower among preterm infants (P = .03).

CONCLUSIONS:

Preterm infants develop poliovirus-specific T cell responses that are comparable to those of term infants. However, they demonstrate nonspecific and poliovirus-specific functional T cell limitations, suggesting that investigations into whether T cell differences remain as preterm infants mature are warranted.

• Authors: Nicola P Klein, Hayley A Gans, Phillip Sung, Linda L Yasukawa, Joanie Johnson, Andrey Sarafanov, Konstantin Chumakov, John Hansen, Steven Black, Cornelia L Dekker
• Journal: The Journal of infectious diseases (J Infect Dis) Vol. 201 Issue 2 Pg. 214-22 (Jan 15 2010) ISSN: 1537-6613 [Electronic] United States
• PMID: 20017631 (Publication Type: Journal Article, Research Support, U.S. Gov't, P.H.S.)

Chemical References

• Antibodies, Viral
• Poliovirus Vaccine, Inactivated
• Vaccines, Conjugate

Topics

• Antibodies, Viral (blood)
• Case-Control Studies
• Female
• Flow Cytometry
• Humans
• Immunity, Cellular
• Infant
• Infant, Newborn
• Infant, Premature (immunology)
• Male
• Monocytes (immunology)
• Poliovirus Vaccine, Inactivated (immunology)
• Prospective Studies
• T-Lymphocytes (immunology)
• Vaccines, Conjugate (immunology)