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Immune response of toddlers with history of prematurity

S P Muraro1, P M Pitrez2, A P D de Souza1

  • 1Laboratory of Clinical and Experimental Immunology, Brazil; Infant Center, Brazil; Institute of Biomedical Research, Pontifícia Universidade Católica do Rio Grande do Sul (PUCRS), Porto Alegre, Brazil.

Allergologia Et Immunopathologia
|February 26, 2017
PubMed

Insights

Preterm birth does not impact immune system development. At three years old, both preterm and term infants show similar innate and adaptive immune responses, indicating no lasting immune differences.

Area of Science:

  • Immunology
  • Pediatrics

Background:

  • Immune system development in preterm infants compared to term infants remains unclear beyond the first year.
  • Investigating long-term immune differences is crucial for understanding child health outcomes.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To compare innate and adaptive immune responses in preterm and term children at three years of age.
  • To determine if preterm birth has lasting effects on immune system maturation.

Main Methods:

  • Peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) were collected from three-year-old preterm and term children.
  • Innate immunity assessed via Toll-like receptor (TLR) expression and cytokine production post-TLR ligand stimulation.
  • Adaptive immunity assessed through T cell phenotyping and functional assays after polyclonal stimulation.

Main Results:

  • No significant differences were observed in the expression of TLR receptors on CD11c+HLADRhigh cells between groups.
  • Inflammatory cytokine production patterns post-stimulation were comparable in both preterm and term children.
  • T cell phenotyping and functional responses to polyclonal stimulation did not differ between the two groups.

Conclusions:

  • Immune responses in children born preterm are comparable to those born at term by three years of age.
  • Preterm birth does not appear to alter the trajectory of innate or adaptive immune system development by age three.
  • These findings suggest immune resilience in children born preterm regarding early childhood immune maturation.
Abstract

Keywords:
CytokinesImmune responseMemory T cellPreterm childrenTLR expression

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