Related Experiment Video
Updated: Oct 16, 2025
Evaluation of Host-Pathogen Responses and Vaccine Efficacy in Mice
Published on: February 22, 2019
Modification of innate immune responses to Bordetella pertussis in babies from pertussis vaccinated pregnancies
Thomas F Rice1, Dimitri A Diavatopoulos2, Yanping Guo3
1Department of Metabolism, Development and Reproduction (MDR), Lecturer in Maternal and Fetal Health, Imperial College London, Institute of Reproductive and Developmental Biology (IRDB), Hammersmith Campus, London W12 0HS, UK; Section of Paediatrics, Department of Medicine, Imperial College London, UK.
Insights
Maternal tetanus, diphtheria, acellular pertussis, and inactivated polio (Tdap-IPV) vaccination impacts infant immune responses to pertussis. Babies born to vaccinated mothers showed altered cellular immunity, affecting cytokine profiles post-vaccination.
Area of Science:
- Immunology
- Vaccinology
- Maternal-fetal medicine
Background:
- Maternal Tdap-IPV vaccination protects infants from pertussis.
- Impact on infant innate immune responses is not well understood.
Purpose of the Study:
- Investigate the impact of maternal Tdap-IPV vaccination on infant innate immune responses to Bordetella pertussis (B. pertussis).
Main Methods:
- Whole blood assay and flow cytometry used to analyze immune cells (NK cells, monocytes, dendritic cells) and cytokine production.
- Blood samples collected from mothers and infants at birth, 7 weeks, and 5 months.
Main Results:
- Maternal vaccination associated with altered infant cytokine responses (IL-2, IL-12, IL-10, IL-4, IL-13) and immune cell proportions at birth and during infancy.
- Infants of vaccinated mothers showed distinct innate immune profiles persisting post-primary pertussis immunization.
Conclusions:
- Pregnancy pertussis vaccination influences infant cellular immunity.
- This may contribute to observed modifications in infant antibody responses to pertussis.
Background:
Tetanus, diphtheria, acellular pertussis, inactivated polio (Tdap-IPV) vaccines administered during pregnancy protect young infants from Bordetella pertussis (B. pertussis) infection. Whilst the impact of maternal Tdap-IPV vaccination on infants' humoral response to subsequent pertussis immunisation has been investigated, little is known about any impact on innate responses.
Methods:
We investigated the immune response to B. pertussis in mothers and infants from Tdap-IPV-vaccinated and unvaccinated pregnancies, utilising a whole blood assay and flow cytometric phenotyping of neonatal natural killer (NK) cells, monocytes and dendritic cells. Blood was collected from mother and umbilical cord at birth, and from infants at seven weeks (one week pre-primary pertussis immunisation) and five months of age (one month post-primary pertussis immunisation). 21 mothers and 67 infants were studied.
Findings:
Vaccinated women had elevated pro-inflammatory cytokine responses to B. pertussis. At birth, babies of vaccinated women had elevated IL-2 and IL-12 responses, elevated classical monocyte proportions, and reduced monocyte and NK cell cytokine responses. The elevated IL-2 response persisted to seven weeks-of-age, when lower IL-10 and IL-13 responses were also seen. One-month post-primary pertussis vaccination, infants from vaccinated pregnancies still had lower IL-10 responses to B. pertussis, as well as lower IL-4.
Interpretation:
This study suggests that pertussis vaccination during pregnancy impacts infant cellular immune responses, potentially contributing to the modification of antibody responses already reported following primary immunisation against B. pertussis.
Funding:
National Institute for Health Research Imperial Biomedical Research Centre and IMmunising PRegnant women and INfants neTwork (funded by the GCRF Networks in Vaccines R&D).
