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Published on: August 7, 2017
Distinct immune phenotypes in infants developing asthma during childhood
Anna Hammerich Thysen1,2, Johannes Waage1, Jeppe Madura Larsen2
1COPSAC, Copenhagen Prospective Studies on Asthma in Childhood, Herlev and Gentofte Hospital, University of Copenhagen, DK-2200 Copenhagen, Denmark.
Infant immune responses predict childhood asthma. Early abnormal neutrophil antiviral responses linked to transient asthma, while enhanced IL-5/IL-13 production and bacterial colonization predicted persistent asthma.
Area of Science:
- Immunology
- Pediatrics
- Environmental Health
Background:
- Early life immune responses are crucial for development and disease susceptibility.
- Childhood asthma is a complex condition with diverse underlying immune mechanisms.
- Environmental factors interact with host immunity to influence disease trajectories.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the relationship between early immune competence in infants and the development of transient or persistent childhood asthma.
- To identify specific immune response phenotypes at 18 months of age that predict asthma development by 6 years of age.
- To explore the role of early life bacterial colonization in mediating immune responses linked to asthma.
Main Methods:
- Functional immune profiling of 186 parameters in blood samples from 541 infants at 18 months of age.
- Assessment of asthma development (transient or persistent) at 6 years of age.
- Analysis of associations between infant immune response phenotypes, including T cell cytokine production (IL-5, IL-13) and neutrophil responses, and early life airway bacterial colonization.
Main Results:
- An abnormal neutrophil-linked antiviral response in infants was associated with an increased risk of developing transient asthma.
- Infants who later developed persistent asthma exhibited enhanced production of interleukin-5 (IL-5) and interleukin-13 (IL-13) from stimulated T cells at 18 months.
- This enhanced IL-5 and IL-13 production was linked to early life bacterial colonization of the airways.
- Distinct early immune characteristics were identified in infants who developed different asthma endotypes.
Conclusions:
- Early immune profiling can identify infants at risk for specific asthma endotypes.
- Neutrophil antiviral responses and T cell cytokine profiles (IL-5, IL-13) in infancy are early indicators of asthma trajectories.
- Early life bacterial colonization may play a role in shaping immune responses that lead to persistent asthma.
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