IMMUNOPHENOTYPING OF BLOOD LYMPHOCYTES IN NEWBORNS WITH PRENATAL INFECTIONS AT DIFFERENT GESTATION TERMS

Abstract

The study aimed to compare subset composition of peripheral blood lymphocytes in 40 newborns at different gestation periods, complicated by a verified prenatal infection (1st group), or with hypoxic brain damage (2nd group), using a flow cytometry technique. It was found that activated CD14+HLA-DR+ monocytes were 2,3-fold more common in the infants from the 1st group, and representation of CD5+CD19+ B1 lymphocytes (a «forbidden» clone) was 1,8-fold higher than in 2nd group. Among pre-term babies from the 1st group, the lymphocytes with CD3+CD16+/CD56+, CD3+CD95+ and CD5+CD19+ phenotype were registered more often, than in full-term infants (resp., 5, 11, and 2 times higher). These data argue for involvement of compensatory defense immune mechanisms under the conditions of increased antigenic load, being more pronounced in pre-term infants.

Keywords

• newborns
• prenatal infections
• flow cytometry
• lymphocytes