Immune studies in infants with congenital syphilis

Seventeen neonates with congenital syphilis were studied to determine the immune response of the fetus following intra-uterine infection with Treponema pallidum. The results were compared with those from healthy controls matched for gestational age, birth weight and sex. B cells, IgM, and circulating immune complexes were significantly elevated in the infected newborns. There were no differences in lymphocyte transformation to phytohaemagglutinin (PHA) and in the CD3, CD4, and CD8 lymphocytes between infants with congenital syphilis and controls. Newborns with congenital syphilis have a heightened humoral response but no quantitative abnormality in cell-mediated immunity. Speculation on the role of the circulating immune complexes is presented.