Neonatal Cord Blood Subsets and Cytokine Response to Bacterial Antigens

John Denton Peoples; Sandy Cheung; Mirjana Nesin; Hong Lin; A.M. Francesca Tatad; Danthanh Hoang; Jeffrey M Perlman; Susanna Cunningham-Rundles

doi:10.1055/s-0029-1220788

American Journal of Perinatology, Table of Contents

Am J Perinatol 2009; 26(9): 647-657
DOI: 10.1055/s-0029-1220788

Neonatal Cord Blood Subsets and Cytokine Response to Bacterial Antigens

John Denton Peoples¹ ^, ⁴ , Sandy Cheung¹ ^, ² ^, ⁴ , Mirjana Nesin¹ ^, ³ ^, ⁴ , Hong Lin¹ ^, ² ^, ⁴ , A.M. Francesca Tatad¹ ^, ³ ^, ⁴ , Danthanh Hoang¹ ^, ³ ^, ⁴ , Jeffrey M. Perlman¹ ^, ³ ^, ⁴ , Susanna Cunningham-Rundles¹ ^, ² ^, ⁴

¹Department of Pediatrics, Host Defenses Program, New York, New York
²Division of Hematology/Oncology, New York, New York
³Division of Neonatology, New York, New York
⁴Weill Cornell College, New York, New York

Abstract

ABSTRACT

We compared lymphocyte subsets and cytokine responses to bacteria among term, preterm infants, and adults. Lymphocyte subset percentages in cord blood (22 preterm, 27 term neonates) and peripheral blood from 21 adults and cytokine/chemokine interleukin (IL)-6, IL-8, IL-10, IL-12, interferon gamma (IFN gamma) responses to Escherichia coli, group B Streptococcus (GBS), Staphylococcus epidermidis, and Lactobacillus plantarum (Lp299v) were assessed by flow cytometry. Preterm compared with term infants had increased CD8⁺ T cells (p = 0.02) and reduced naïve CD4⁺ T cells (p < 0.0001). Memory T and natural killer (NK) T cells were reduced (p < 0.001) in neonates; NK and CD56⁺161⁺ NK cells were increased (p < 0.001). CD56⁺CD8⁺ NK cells were higher in preterm compared with term infants. Despite individual exceptions, cytokine responses in neonates were weaker than adults except for IL-8 response to E. coli in preterm and IL-12 response to Lp299v in term infants. IL-10 responses were weaker in preterm (p = 0.01) and term (p = 0.005) infants to S. epidermidis and to E. coli (p = 0.03 for both) compared with adults. Differences in regulatory subpopulations of NK and T cells between neonates and adults and term compared with preterm infants were observed. These differences rather than intrinsic functional deficiency may account for neonatal cytokine responses to bacteria.

KEYWORDS

Term - preterm - neonate - umbilical cord blood - cytokine - immune subpopulations - memory T cells - naïve T cells - natural killer subsets - adhesion molecules - bacterial antigens - IL-6 - IL-8 - IL-10 - IL-12 - interferon gamma - E. coli - S. epidermidis - group B Streptococcus - Lactobacillus plantarum

Full Text

References

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Susanna Cunningham-RundlesPh.D.

Professor of Immunology, Department of Pediatrics, Cornell University Weill Medical College

1300 York Avenue, New York, NY 10021

Email: scrundle@med.cornell.edu