Perturbation of the Preterm Human Immune System in Early Life

Area of Science:

• Neonatal immunology
• Immunocompromised infants
• Preterm birth complications

Background:

• Inflammatory complications are frequent in preterm infants.
• Their impact on neonatal immune development is not well understood.
• Bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD) and systemic infections are major preterm complications.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate distinct immune signatures of BPD and systemic infection in preterm infants.
• To track changes in immune composition over time.
• To understand how these conditions affect neonatal immune development.

Main Methods:

• Longitudinal high-dimensional immune profiling.
• Analysis of residual whole blood from preterm and term infants.
• Bi-weekly sampling of preterm infants over time.

Main Results:

• Severe BPD associated with increased Th17 CD4+ T cells, neutrophils, and Th17 cytokines.
• Systemic infections induced robust CD8+, CD4+, and γδ T cell responses.
• Infection-induced immune responses showed oligoclonal expansion and persistent changes.

Conclusions:

• Different preterm comorbidities imprint the neonatal immune system distinctively.
• Longitudinal immune profiling reveals divergent immune trajectories.
• Findings may identify targets for therapeutic interventions in preterm infants.