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Maternal T cells and human pregnancy outcome
1Menzies School of Health Research, Casuarina, N.T., Australia.
Mothers who had just delivered babies of normal birthweight showed significant reductions in the numbers of circulating T and B lymphocytes and of the CD4 T lymphocyte subset. This is consistent with the immunosuppression that occurs in a normal pregnancy. In contrast, the mothers of low birthweight infants did not show these reductions and had circulating lymphocyte numbers not significantly different from normal controls. This suggests that a component of intra-uterine growth retardation may be immunopathological, owing to a failure of the immunosuppressive mechanisms of pregnancy that might normally prevent the fetus from immunological attack.
Mothers who had just delivered babies of normal birthweight showed significant reductions in the numbers of circulating T and B lymphocytes and of the CD4 T lymphocyte subset. This is consistent with the immunosuppression that occurs in a normal pregnancy. In contrast, the mothers of low birthweight infants did not show these reductions and had circulating lymphocyte numbers not significantly different from normal controls. This suggests that a component of intra-uterine growth retardation may be immunopathological, owing to a failure of the immunosuppressive mechanisms of pregnancy that might normally prevent the fetus from immunological attack.