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Longitudinal Mycobacterium tuberculosis-specific Interferon Gamma responses in Ethiopian HIV-negative women during pregnancy and postpartum

Tesfaye, Fregenet LU ; Walles, John LU orcid ; Sturegård, Erik LU ; Winqvist, Niclas LU ; Balcha, Taye Tolera LU ; Kefeni, Mestawet ; Jansson, Marianne LU and Björkman, Per LU orcid (2021) In Journal of Clinical Microbiology 59(10).
Abstract

Pregnancy may influence cellular immune responses to Mycobacterium tuberculosis. We investigated M. tuberculosis-specific interferon-g responses in women followed longitudinally during pregnancy and postpartum. Interferon-g levels (stimulated by M. tuberculosis antigens [TB1 and TB2] and mitogen included in the QuantiFERON-TB Gold Plus assay) were measured in blood from pregnant HIV-negative women identified from a prospective cohort at Ethiopian antenatal care clinics. Longitudinal comparisons included women without active tuberculosis (TB) with M. tuberculosis-triggered interferon-g responses of $ 0.20 IU/ml, sampled on two and/or three occasions (1st/2nd trimester, 3rd trimester, and 9 months postpartum). Among 2,093 women in the... (More)

Pregnancy may influence cellular immune responses to Mycobacterium tuberculosis. We investigated M. tuberculosis-specific interferon-g responses in women followed longitudinally during pregnancy and postpartum. Interferon-g levels (stimulated by M. tuberculosis antigens [TB1 and TB2] and mitogen included in the QuantiFERON-TB Gold Plus assay) were measured in blood from pregnant HIV-negative women identified from a prospective cohort at Ethiopian antenatal care clinics. Longitudinal comparisons included women without active tuberculosis (TB) with M. tuberculosis-triggered interferon-g responses of $ 0.20 IU/ml, sampled on two and/or three occasions (1st/2nd trimester, 3rd trimester, and 9 months postpartum). Among 2,093 women in the source cohort, 363 met inclusion criteria for longitudinal comparisons of M. tuberculosis-stimulated interferon-g responses. Median M. tuberculosis-triggered interferon-g concentrations were higher at 3rd than those at the 1st/2nd trimester (in 38 women with samples available from these time points; TB1: 2.8 versus 1.6 IU/ml, P = 0.005; TB2: 3.3 versus 2.8 IU/ml, P = 0.03) and postpartum (in 49 women with samples available from these time points; TB1: 3.1 versus 2.2 IU/ml, P = 0.01; TB2: 3.1 versus 2.3 IU/ml, P = 0.03). In contrast, mitogen-stimulated interferon-g levels were lower at 3rd than those at 1st/2nd trimester (in 32 women with samples available from these time points: 21.0 versus 34.9 IU/ml, P = 0.02). Results were similar in 22 women sampled on all 3 occasions. In HIV-negative women, M. tuberculosis-stimulated interferon-g responses were higher during the 3rd trimester than those at earlier stages of pregnancy and postpartum, despite decreased mitogen-triggered responses. These findings suggest increased M. tuberculosis-specific cellular responses due to dynamic changes of latent TB infection during pregnancy.

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author
; ; ; ; ; ; and
organization
publishing date
type
Contribution to journal
publication status
published
subject
keywords
Ethiopia, Interferon-g, LTBI, Pregnancy, QuantiFERON-TB Gold Plus
in
Journal of Clinical Microbiology
volume
59
issue
10
article number
e00868-21
publisher
American Society for Microbiology
external identifiers
  • pmid:34319803
  • scopus:85115979089
ISSN
0095-1137
DOI
10.1128/JCM.00868-21
language
English
LU publication?
yes
additional info
Publisher Copyright: Copyright © 2021 Tesfaye et al.
id
cfbac72e-1585-4a86-a74f-f707d3eb07e0
date added to LUP
2021-10-20 15:51:58
date last changed
2024-06-29 19:35:12
@article{cfbac72e-1585-4a86-a74f-f707d3eb07e0,
  abstract     = {{<p>Pregnancy may influence cellular immune responses to Mycobacterium tuberculosis. We investigated M. tuberculosis-specific interferon-g responses in women followed longitudinally during pregnancy and postpartum. Interferon-g levels (stimulated by M. tuberculosis antigens [TB1 and TB2] and mitogen included in the QuantiFERON-TB Gold Plus assay) were measured in blood from pregnant HIV-negative women identified from a prospective cohort at Ethiopian antenatal care clinics. Longitudinal comparisons included women without active tuberculosis (TB) with M. tuberculosis-triggered interferon-g responses of $ 0.20 IU/ml, sampled on two and/or three occasions (1st/2nd trimester, 3rd trimester, and 9 months postpartum). Among 2,093 women in the source cohort, 363 met inclusion criteria for longitudinal comparisons of M. tuberculosis-stimulated interferon-g responses. Median M. tuberculosis-triggered interferon-g concentrations were higher at 3rd than those at the 1st/2nd trimester (in 38 women with samples available from these time points; TB1: 2.8 versus 1.6 IU/ml, P = 0.005; TB2: 3.3 versus 2.8 IU/ml, P = 0.03) and postpartum (in 49 women with samples available from these time points; TB1: 3.1 versus 2.2 IU/ml, P = 0.01; TB2: 3.1 versus 2.3 IU/ml, P = 0.03). In contrast, mitogen-stimulated interferon-g levels were lower at 3rd than those at 1st/2nd trimester (in 32 women with samples available from these time points: 21.0 versus 34.9 IU/ml, P = 0.02). Results were similar in 22 women sampled on all 3 occasions. In HIV-negative women, M. tuberculosis-stimulated interferon-g responses were higher during the 3rd trimester than those at earlier stages of pregnancy and postpartum, despite decreased mitogen-triggered responses. These findings suggest increased M. tuberculosis-specific cellular responses due to dynamic changes of latent TB infection during pregnancy.</p>}},
  author       = {{Tesfaye, Fregenet and Walles, John and Sturegård, Erik and Winqvist, Niclas and Balcha, Taye Tolera and Kefeni, Mestawet and Jansson, Marianne and Björkman, Per}},
  issn         = {{0095-1137}},
  keywords     = {{Ethiopia; Interferon-g; LTBI; Pregnancy; QuantiFERON-TB Gold Plus}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  number       = {{10}},
  publisher    = {{American Society for Microbiology}},
  series       = {{Journal of Clinical Microbiology}},
  title        = {{Longitudinal Mycobacterium tuberculosis-specific Interferon Gamma responses in Ethiopian HIV-negative women during pregnancy and postpartum}},
  url          = {{http://dx.doi.org/10.1128/JCM.00868-21}},
  doi          = {{10.1128/JCM.00868-21}},
  volume       = {{59}},
  year         = {{2021}},
}