Immunization Of Newborns Research Articles

Immunomodulatory Components of Human Colostrum and Milk.

Human milk is a unique and complex secretion differing from lacteal secretions of other species. Besides nutrition, it provides protection during the newborn's adaption to the extrauterine environment and reduces the morbidity and mortality caused by both infectious and noninfectious diseases. Its components act directly against infectious agents, but they also accelerate the newborn's immune system development, increasing its capacity for defense and reducing the risk of allergy and other immune-related diseases. Cytokines show the most refined immunomodulatory effects, but oligosaccharides, hormones, and other components affect the newborn's immunity as well. Furthermore, milk components substantially affect the microbial colonization of infant mucosa, which substantially influences the development of all parts of the immune system. All these components act primarily locally, on the mucosal membranes, preventing the penetration of microbes and other antigenic components into the circulation thus ensuring effective defense without the damaging inflammation. Human lacteal secretions contain a number of live cells. Although there are no major differences in the cytokine production between allergic and healthy mothers, they are able to respond to multiple stimuli. By increasing happiness, boosting protective immunity, and decreasing the risk of breast cancer, breastfeeding may have multiple benefits for the mother as well.

ОСОБЕННОСТИ КЛИНИЧЕСКИХ ПРОЯВЛЕНИЙ, КЛЕТОЧНОГО И ГУМОРАЛЬНОГО ИММУНИТЕТА НОВОРОЖДЁННЫХ ПРИ ВНУТРИУТРОБНЫХ МИКСТ-ИНФЕКЦИЯХ

Objective: To study the features of clinical manifestations, cellular and humoral immunity of newborns with intrauterine mixed infections (IUMI). Methods: A comprehensive survey of 45 infants with IUMI was carried out. Depending on the classification of IUMI they were divided into 3 main groups: group I – 24 patients (53%) with the viral-bacterial association, group II – 12 patients (27%) with the viral-viral association, and group III – 9 patients (20%) with the viral-parasitic association. The control group consisted of 10 newborns born from uninfected, somatically healthy mothers. Diagnosis of IUMI was based on the detection of specific antibodies of the IgA, IgG and IgM classes, as well as phagocytic activity and phagocytic index of leukocytes. In addition, general clinical, biochemical, bacteriological and instrumental research methods have been conducted. Results: The blood serum IgA and IgM indices in patients of the main group were significantly higher, and the mean IgG values were lower compared to the control group. Analysis of cellular immunity parameters in the main group showed a decrease in the number of mature T-lymphocytes (CD3), B-lymphocytes (CD20), the number of T-helpers and cells that produce IL-2 in the peripheral blood, compared with the control group. In the main group, there was also an increase in the number of apoptosis cells (CD95), cells with high cytotoxic activity (CD25, CD71) and the percentage of natural killer cells (CD16). A decrease in the phagocytic activity and phagocytic index of neutrophils was recorded, which indicates the insufficiency of the nonspecific component of immunity. Conclusions: In newborns, various changes were found both on the part of specific and nonspecific components of immunity. This indicates the development of secondary immunodeficiency in this category of patients and makes it necessary to add to the main treatment of immune corrective therapy. Keywords: Congenital infections, mixed intrauterine infections, TORCH syndrome, opportunistic infections, secondary immunodeficiency.

Ensuring the Life-Span Benefits of Newborn Screening.

Newborn screening is a highly successful public health program that has led to major improvements in outcomes for a variety of conditions otherwise associated with long-term disability and even death.1 In the United States, newborn screening is provided to every newborn, regardless of circumstance, leading to the identification of >13 000 newborns with a significant condition each year.1 Most of these individuals require specialized care over their life span. However, public health involvement in newborn screening typically ends once the condition has been diagnosed. This can lead to gaps in care and impede the ability to collect the data necessary for quality improvement and assess treatment effectiveness. The public health activities in newborn screening include choosing which conditions to screen for, implementing screening and monitoring quality, and ensuring follow-up testing and referrals after positive screen results. After referral for diagnosis, the public health mandate for most states ends, and the responsibility for care rests with pediatricians and other clinicians. Unfortunately, the lifelong management of the rare conditions identified through newborn screening can break down at multiple points, even for conditions that have been included in newborn screening for decades. For example, many children with sickle cell disease do not receive life-saving antibiotic prophylaxis2; the management of children with congenital hypothyroidism may be inconsistent with recommended care, undermining optimal cognitive development3; and adults with phenylketonuria often have limited access to the specialists and medical foods necessary to protect against neurocognitive impairment.4 The complexity of follow-up care has increased with the expansion … Address correspondence to Alex R. Kemper, MD, MPH, MS, Division of Ambulatory Pediatrics, Nationwide Children’s Hospital, 700 Children’s Dr, LAC5411, Columbus, OH 43205-2664. E-mail: alex.kemper{at}nationwidechildrens.org

Hepatitis B infection and risk factors among children living with HIV in Yaounde, Cameroon: an integrated management

BackgroundThe endemicity of hepatitis B virus (HBV) prompted the systematic immunization of newborns in Cameroon since 2005. In the frame of a considerable burden of HIV/HBV co-infection (17.5%), monitoring HBV among children living with HIV (CLHIV) would guide toward HIV/HBV integrated paediatric care. We sought to ascertain the prevalence and determinants of HBV infection in the population of CLHIV and performance of commonly used rapid diagnosis tests (RDTs).MethodsCross-sectional study conducted from February through June 2017 in a subset of CLHIV ≤15 years old at the Essos Hospital Centre, Yaounde, Cameroon. HBV was tested by HBsAg ELISA sandwich in duplicates for each sample, and the mean optical density was calculated. The Determinants of HBV-prevalencewere evaluated, and p < 0.05 was the significance threshold. The performance of two HBV RDTs (Diaspot vs. HBV-5) was evaluated in comparison to ELISA (used as gold standard).ResultsOf the 83 CLHIV enrolled (54.2% female, mean age 8.7 [±3.8] years, 60% vaccinated against HBV, all breastfed), HBV-prevalence was 2.41% (2/83). HBV-positivity was significantly associated with unknown maternal HBV status (2.9% [2/69] vs. 0.0% [0/14], p = 0.0097) and vaginal delivery (2.4% [2/82] vs. 0.0% [0/1], p = 0.0018). Moreover, the most likely to be positive were aged 11 and 15 years, and had experienced neither anti-HBV vaccination nor anti-HBV serum administration, and both had not been treated with any antiseptic solution at birth. Regarding the performance of Diaspot vs. HBV-5 respectively, sensitivity was 100% (2/2) vs. 50% (1/2), while specificity was 100% (45/45) vs. 97.8% (44/45); positive and negative predictive values of Diaspot versus HBV-5 were respectively 100% (2/2) and 100% (45/45) versus 50% (1/2) and 97.8% (44/45).ConclusionHBV-infection in the population of CLHIV appears at a moderate prevalence, suggesting a decreased burden likely due to preventive measures including the wide vaccine coverage. Focusing on mothers with unknown HBV status and promoting safer delivery mode (caesarean section) for HBV-positive motherswould contribute toward pediatric HBV elimination. In context of limited resources, Diaspot test appears more reliable to rollout HBV-infection in the population of CLHIV. As findings are limited to a small sample size, studies on a wider population would be relevant.

Influenza vaccination of pregnant women in Paris, France: Knowledge, attitudes and practices among midwives.

IntroductionIn France, midwives have been authorized to prescribe vaccines since 2016. Yet vaccination coverage among pregnant women remains low. Understanding the knowledge, attitudes and practices of midwives regarding influenza vaccination could help improve coverage.MethodsA cross-sectional survey was conducted in 2017 among midwives practicing in the public and private sectors in Paris using an online questionnaire. Multivariate logistic regression analysis of the data was conducted.ResultsThe response rate was 31% (n = 208/669). Overall, knowledge of influenza vaccine recommendations and of vaccine safety and effectiveness was high except regarding new-born immunity and influenza vaccine characteristics. Only 10% of midwives systematically prescribed the vaccine. Reported influenza vaccine uptake among midwives was 39%.ConclusionEfforts to improve the knowledge of midwives regarding the safety and effectiveness of vaccinating pregnant women in order to prevent influenza infection in newborns are necessary. Increasing vaccine uptake in both midwives and pregnant women will require adjusting education strategies.

Maternal Immunity Influences Vertical Transmission of Hepatitis B to Newborns.

Vertical transmission of hepatitis B virus (HBV) from the mother to the newborn often results in viral persistence. To understand mechanisms of maternofetal HBV transmission, we studied maternal immunity and peripheral blood mononuclear cell (PBMC) transcriptome in mothers and newborns. We included 50 mothers and babies who were hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg) positive: 22 HBV transmitting mothers (group [Gr.] I) and 28 HBV nontransmitting mothers (Gr. II) to newborns and 10 healthy mother–baby pairs (Gr. III). PBMCs were analyzed for HBV‐specific dendritic cells (DCs), T cells, T follicular helper (TFh) cells, B cells, functional immune responses, and cytokine levels as well as transcriptome signatures to identify immune gene expression correlates for protective immunity. Group II mothers had lower HBsAg levels (3.82 × 103 versus 1.493 × 104; P < 0.0001) with greater HBV‐specific responses of DCs, T cells, TFh cells, and B cells than Gr. I mothers. Frequencies of TFh cells were lower in Gr. I mothers, with reduced interleukin‐21 (IL‐21) levels, and these inversely correlated with HBV DNA levels. Cut‐off levels of 9.5% and 8.93% from the receiver operating curve predicted the involvement of TFh cells and B cells in HBV transmission. Transcriptome signatures revealed that maternal gene imprints were reflected in the newborns. Genes related to DCs, TFh cells, and B cells were increased in Gr. II, and Gr. II newborns showed a boost in cellular and humoral responses after vaccination. Conclusion: In mothers infected with HBV, low serum IL‐21 levels and decreased TFh‐cell and plasma B‐cell frequencies are associated with vertical transmission of HBV to newborns. These features are indicative of low protective maternal immunity.

The under appreciated need for maternal and newborn immunization: call to action

In spite of clear evidence regarding the safety and efficacy of maternal and neonatal immunization, the accetance of maternal influenza and pertussis immunization and neonatal Hepatitis B vaccination has been disappointingly slow to reach optimal levels in the United States. Maternal influenza disease is associated with increased birth defects, premature delivery, and the delivery of small for gestational age infants. Influenza immunization has been recommended for all women who are or will be pregnant, regardless of trimester, during influenza season (October through May), but only about half receive them. Concerns about influenza immunization clearly overlook the solid data regarding the overall association between influenza immunization and decreased mortality and morbidity for both mothers and infants. Pertissis disease in infants under 2 months of age is associated with significantly increased morbidity and mortality. Pertussis incidence in the US has seen a significant increase in the past two decades in most age groups including that of parents and siblings. Recommended attempts to decrease infant pertussis infection include both maternal immunization and immunization of individuals who are expected to come in contact with these newborn infants (cocooning). Transmission of maternal Hepatitis B infection to their infants is associated with a significant incidence of chronic disease with subsequent cirrhosis and death. The administration of both Hepatitis B immune globulin and a “birth dose” of Hepatitis B vaccine have been demonstrated to be very safe and effective in preventing infant acquisition of Hepatitis B infection from infected mothers. A birth dose of Hepatitis B vaccine should be administered to every newborn.

Implementation of "health systems approach" to improve vaccination at birth in institutional deliveries at public health facilities; experience from six states of India.

Introduction:Newborn vaccination is an integral part of routine immunization program in India, but program implementation gaps exist. The focus of this article is to identify and describe an implementation strategy which could improve the newborn vaccination at the facility level.Materials and Methods:A situation analysis was conducted through a mixed-methods approach to identify the lacunae in the health system and the same was used to develop an implementation strategy to improve newborn vaccination coverage across the six priority states.Results:Issues in stewardship and human resource, vaccine-related stock-outs, and poor service delivery were some of the reasons for low facility-level vaccination coverage. After implementation of a health system–based strategy, the new born vaccination improved from 55% to 88% across 10 quarters of program implementation. Factors such as sensitization of stakeholders, vaccination on holidays, rigorous documentation, and supportive supervision of health staff were primary reasons for improvement in service delivery.Conclusion:Importance of newborn immunization at birth is well established. The results from six states prove that “health systems approach” as an implementation strategy is a viable tool to improve newborn immunization at birth.

Long-term antibody persistence against hepatitis B in adolescents 14–15-years of age vaccinated with 4 doses of hexavalent DTPa-HBV-IPV/Hib vaccine in infancy

ABSTRACTWe evaluated antibody persistence against hepatitis B virus (HBV) in adolescents previously vaccinated with a hexavalent diphtheria-tetanus-acellular pertussis-HBV-inactivated poliovirus-Haemophilus influenzae type b conjugate vaccine (DTPa-HBV-IPV/Hib), as part of the national newborn immunization program in Germany. We also assessed the anamnestic response to a challenge dose of a monovalent HBV vaccine. In this phase 4, open-label, non-randomized study (NCT02798952), 302 adolescents aged 14–15 years, primed in their first 2 years of life with 4 DTPa-HBV-IPV/Hib doses, received one challenge dose of monovalent HBV vaccine. Blood samples were taken before and one month post-vaccination and used to determine antibody levels against hepatitis B surface antigen (HBs). Reactogenicity and safety were also assessed post-challenge dose. Pre-challenge dose, 53.7% of 268 participants included in the according-to-protocol cohort for immunogenicity had anti-HBs antibody concentrations ≥10 mIU/mL (seroprotection cut-off) and 16.8% had anti-HBs antibody concentrations ≥100 mIU/mL. One month post-challenge dose, 93.3% of adolescents had anti-HBs antibody concentrations ≥10 mIU/mL and 87.3% had antibody concentrations ≥100 mIU/mL. An anamnestic response was mounted in 92.5% of adolescents. Injection site pain (in 33.6% of participants) and fatigue (30.2%) were the most frequently reported solicited local and general symptoms, respectively. Six of the 55 unsolicited adverse events reported were considered vaccination-related. Two vaccination-unrelated serious adverse events were reported during the study. Long-term antibody persistence against hepatitis B was observed in 14–15 years old adolescents previously primed in infancy with DTPa-HBV-IPV/Hib. A challenge dose of monovalent HBV vaccine induced strong anamnestic response, with no safety concerns.

Human Milk Oligosaccharides and Immune System Development.

Maternal milk contains compounds that may affect newborn immunity. Among these are a group of oligosaccharides that are synthesized in the mammary gland from lactose; these oligosaccharides have been termed human milk oligosaccharides (HMOs). The amount of HMOs present in human milk is greater than the amount of protein. In fact, HMOs are the third-most abundant solid component in maternal milk after lactose and lipids, and are thus considered to be key components. The importance of HMOs may be explained by their inhibitory effects on the adhesion of microorganisms to the intestinal mucosa, the growth of pathogens through the production of bacteriocins and organic acids, and the expression of genes that are involved in inflammation. This review begins with short descriptions of the basic structures of HMOs and the gut immune system, continues with the beneficial effects of HMOs shown in cell and animal studies, and it ends with the observational and randomized controlled trials carried out in humans to date, with particular emphasis on their effect on immune system development. HMOs seem to protect breastfed infants against microbial infections. The protective effect has been found to be exerted through cell signaling and cell-to-cell recognition events, enrichment of the protective gut microbiota, the modulation of microbial adhesion, and the invasion of the infant intestinal mucosa. In addition, infants fed formula supplemented with selected HMOs exhibit a pattern of inflammatory cytokines closer to that of exclusively breastfed infants. Unfortunately, the positive effects found in preclinical studies have not been substantiated in the few randomized, double-blinded, multicenter, controlled trials that are available, perhaps partly because these studies focus on aspects other than the immune response (e.g., growth, tolerance, and stool microbiota).

First week of integral health for the newborn: nursing actions of the Family Health Strategy.

To describe the nurses' actions of the Family Health Strategy about the First Week for Integral Health regarding the care devoted to the newborn. It is a descriptive, exploratory research with qualitative approach carried out from October 2014 to February 2015, through a semi-structured interview, with nine nurses from the Family Health Strategy of João Pessoa-PB. Data were submitted to thematic analysis. The actions identified at the first visit to the newborn child are based on maternal guidance on basic newborn care, breastfeeding, neonatal screening, immunization and childcare, as well as evaluation of the puerperal, but it was sometimes performed outside the period recommended and with incomplete and outdated guidelines. Although there are potentialities in nurses' actions to this population, the fragilities compromise the care of the newborn and the puerperium, and it is necessary to sensitize these professionals about the importance and effectiveness of First Week for Integral Health.

Neonate-omics: Charting the Unknown Immune Response in Early Life

The study of neonatal immunology has been hampered by lack of access to infant samples. Novel sample sparing methods and systems-wide approaches have uniquely expanded this field, demonstrating that newborn immunity varies widely but converges over the first 3months of life. During this important time window, environmental and genetic factors impact the infant immune system and can influence lifelong immunity.

Outgrowing the Immaturity Myth: The Cost of Defending From Neonatal Infectious Disease.

Newborns suffer high rates of mortality due to infectious disease—this has been generally regarded to be the result of an “immature” immune system with a diminished disease-fighting capacity. However, the immaturity dogma fails to explain (i) greater pro-inflammatory responses than adults in vivo and (ii) the ability of neonates to survive a significantly higher blood pathogen burden than of adults. To reconcile the apparent contradiction of clinical susceptibility to disease and the host immune response findings when contrasting newborn to adult, it will be essential to capture the entirety of available host-defense strategies at the newborn’s disposal. Adults focus heavily on the disease resistance approach: pathogen reduction and elimination. Newborn hyperactive innate immunity, sensitivity to immunopathology, and the energetic requirements of growth and development (immune and energy costs), however, preclude them from having an adult-like resistance response. Instead, newborns also may avail themselves of disease tolerance (minimizing immunopathology without reducing pathogen load), as a disease tolerance approach provides a counterbalance to the dangers of a heightened innate immunity and has lower-associated immune costs. Further, disease tolerance allows for the establishment of a commensal bacterial community without mounting an unnecessarily dangerous immune resistance response. Since disease tolerance has its own associated costs (immune suppression leading to unchecked pathogen proliferation), it is the maintenance of homeostasis between disease tolerance and disease resistance that is critical to safe and effective defense against infections in early life. This paradigm is consistent with nearly all of the existing evidence.

THE IMPACT OF THE METHOD OF PREVENTION OF INTRAUTERINE INFECTION ON THE STATE OF NONSPECIFIC IMMUNITY IN PREGNANT WOMEN WITH RELAPSING HERPETIC INFECTION AND THEIR CHILDREN

Purpose of the study: to assess the state of nonspecific immunity in women with relapsing herpetic infection, planning pregnancy, period of gestation, from infants and children in the first six months of life, depending on the method of prophylaxis of relapses of infection and intrauterine infection. Patients and methods: under observation were 342 pregnant women with relapsing herpetic infection and their children. Testing for the presence of HSV infection was performed using methods of PCR and ELISA. Women and their children were studied: interferon status, indicators of phenotyping of lymphocytes, the levels of tumor necrosis factor, growth factor of the placenta, placental alkaline phosphatase, placental alpha-1 microglobulin, interleukin 10, immunoglobulin classes A, M, G; for the assessment of fetoplacental complex was used ultrasonic methods. The health status of infants and children in the first six months of life was estimated taking into account the diagnosis of intrauterine infection with herpes simplex virus and realization of somatic pathology. Results of the study: validated method of prevention of intrauterine infection of the fetus with the use of the drug Alloferon on degustatsionnom stage and human recombinant interferon Alfa-2b in the antenatal period. A proven Association between the efficiency of consequent preventive therapy and frequency of complications of gestation, intrauterine infection with herpes simplex virus, the state of nonspecific immunity in pregnant women, newborns and children in the first six months of life. Conclusion: for recurrent herpes infection during pregnancy, an imbalance in the system of nonspecific immunity, development planetarnoi failure lead to tensions antiinfectious immunity in the neonatal period in children with intrauterine infection, and in uninfected children. Newborn children with the implementation of the herpes infection observed inhibition of nonspecific immunity. Milestone method of prevention of intrauterine infection of the fetus with the use of drugs Alloferon and human recombinant interferon Alfa-2b meets the modern requirements of perinatal pharmacology, accessible and safe.

Overall effectiveness of pneumococcal conjugate vaccines: An economic analysis of PHiD-CV and PCV-13 in the immunization of infants in Italy

ABSTRACT Pneumococcal diseases are associated with a significant clinical and economic burden. The 7-valent pneumococcal conjugate vaccine (PCV-7) has been used for the immunization of newborns against invasive pneumococcal diseases (IPD) in Italy while now, the pneumococcal non-typeable Haemophilus influenzae protein D conjugate vaccine (PHiD-CV) and the 13-valent pneumococcal conjugate vaccine (PCV-13) are available. The aim of this analysis was to compare the estimated health benefits, cost and cost-effectiveness of immunization strategies vs. non-vaccination in Italy using the concept of overall vaccine effectiveness. A published Markov model was adapted using local data wherever available to compare the impact of neonatal pneumococcal vaccination on epidemiological and economic burden of invasive and non-invasive pneumococcal diseases, within a cohort of newborns from the Italian National Health Service (NHS) perspective. A 18-year and a 5-year time horizon were considered for the base-case and scenario analysis, respectively. PHiD-CV and PCV-13 are associated with the most important reduction of the clinical burden, with a potential marginal advantage of PHiD-CV over PCV-13. Compared with no vaccination, PHiD-CV is found on the higher limit of the usually indicated willingness to pay range (30,000 - 50,000€/quality-adjusted life year [QALY] gained), while the incremental cost-effectiveness ratio (ICER) for PCV-13 is slightly above. Compared with PCV-13, PHiD-CV would provide better health outcomes and reduce costs even at parity price, solely due to its differential effect on the incidence of NTHi acute otitis media (AOM). The analysis on a shorter time horizon confirms the direction of the base-case.

Transfer of maternal immunity and programming of the newborn immune system.

As placental mammals, the pregnant women and the fetus have intense and prolonged interactions during gestation. There is increasing evidence that multiple molecular as well as cellular components originating in pregnant women are transferred to the fetus. The transfer of maternal antibodies has long been recognized as a central component of newborn immunity against pathogens. More recent studies indicate that inflammatory mediators, micronutrients, microbial products and maternal cells are transferred in utero and influence the fetal immune system. Together, these multiple signals are likely to form a complex network of interactions that program the neonatal immune system and tune its homeostatic regulation. Maternal disorders, in particular infectious diseases, modify these signals and may thereby alter immunity in early life. Understanding maternal programming of the newborn immune system could provide a basis for interventions promoting child health.

The Recombinant Bacille Calmette-Guérin Vaccine VPM1002: Ready for Clinical Efficacy Testing.

The only licensed vaccine against tuberculosis (TB), bacille Calmette–Guérin (BCG), protects against severe extrapulmonary forms of TB but is virtually ineffective against the most prevalent form of the disease, pulmonary TB. BCG was genetically modified at the Max Planck Institute for Infection Biology to improve its immunogenicity by replacing the urease C encoding gene with the listeriolysin encoding gene from Listeria monocytogenes. Listeriolysin perturbates the phagosomal membrane at acidic pH. Urease C is involved in neutralization of the phagosome harboring BCG. Its depletion allows for rapid phagosome acidification and promotes phagolysosome fusion. As a result, BCGΔureC::hly (VPM1002) promotes apoptosis and autophagy and facilitates release of mycobacterial antigens into the cytosol. In preclinical studies, VPM1002 has been far more efficacious and safer than BCG. The vaccine was licensed to Vakzine Projekt Management and later sublicensed to the Serum Institute of India Pvt. Ltd., the largest vaccine producer in the world. The vaccine has passed phase I clinical trials in Germany and South Africa, demonstrating its safety and immunogenicity in young adults. It was also successfully tested in a phase IIa randomized clinical trial in healthy South African newborns and is currently undergoing a phase IIb study in HIV exposed and unexposed newborns. A phase II/III clinical trial will commence in India in 2017 to assess efficacy against recurrence of TB. The target indications for VPM1002 are newborn immunization to prevent TB as well as post-exposure immunization in adults to prevent TB recurrence. In addition, a Phase I trial in non-muscle invasive bladder cancer patients has been completed, and phase II trials are ongoing. This review describes the development of VPM1002 from the drawing board to its clinical assessment.

Hepatitis B Virus-Hepatitis D Virus mother-to-child co-transmission: A retrospective study in a developed country.

Hepatitis B Virus (HBV) DNA during chronic infection can reach levels at which mother-to-child (MTC) transmission frequently occurs despite passive-active immunization of newborns. Hepatitis D Virus (HDV) RNA can reach high levels, we assessed HBV/HDV MTC co-transmission. Monocentric retrospective study (registered in ClinicalTrials.gov (NCT02044055)), after informed consent in HBV/HDV co-infected women pregnant between 01/01/2004 and 01/01/2015 in Paris, France. The children were tested when 24months of age or older. Twenty-two (3%) of 742 HBV infected women, HDV co-infected, gave birth to 54 children during the study period. HBV DNA was above 5 Log10 I.U/mL in 10 pregnancies previous any treatment, with HDV RNA of less than 2.3 Log10 I.U/mL. HDV RNA was above 5 Log10 I.U/mL in eight pregnancies previous any treatment, with HBV DNA of less than 1.5 Log10 I.U/mL. Inverse patterns of HBV DNA and HDV RNA were observed in 17 of 35 (49%) pregnancies: 13 (76%) received no HBV treatment; four (24%) were treated. HBV DNA was under 5 Log10 I.U/mL in 46 of the 50 assessed women (92%) at birth. Of the 36 assessed children, given passive-active immunization, 24 (66%) were protected, 10 (28%) were neither infected nor protected, one was chronically HBV infected, and one had a past HBV infection. HDV Ab was negative in the 36 children. These results suggest that HBV/HDV MTC co-transmission is exceptional. Studies are needed, mainly in developing countries.

Innate immunity: Alarmins rewire innate immunity in newborns.

Innate immunity: Alarmins rewire innate immunity in newborns.

Immune Response and Some Blood Constituents of Calves Produced From Primi- and Multi-Parous Friesian Cows Fed Yeast Culture

This study was conducted to evaluate the effect of dietary supplementation of dairy cows with yeast culture (YC) on immune transfer to their calves during first days after birth and on some blood constituents of calves from birth to 15 wk of age. Total of 15 Friesian cows (weighing 500-520 kg and 2-4 parities) and 15 Friesian heifers (weighing 400-420 kg) at late pregnancy (3 mo pre-partum) were used in this study. All experimental animals were randomly allocated in randomized design to three experimental groups (n=10, 5 cows and 5 heifers in each), fed on the same diet. Animals in 1st group were without treatment, while those in the second (T2) and third (T3) groups were orally administrated with 20 and 40 g/h commercial yeast culture (Thepax) for 90 days pre-partum and 90 days post-partum. After parturition, newborn calves were fed on colostrums of their dams, and then suckled milk up to weaning (105 d of age). Blood samples were collected from all newborn calves at first, second and third day after birth, then at 4, 8, 12 and 15 weeks of age. Hematological parameters including count of red (RBCs) and white (WBCs) blood cells, hemoglobin (Hb) concentration and packed cell volume (PCV) were determined in the whole blood. Concentration of total proteins (TP), albumin (AL), globulin (GL), total lipids (TL), cholesterol (CH), glucose (GLU), creatinine (CR), and thyroid hormone (T3) as well as AST and ALT activities were determined in blood serum. Results showed insignificant effect of dam parity (cows and heifers) on count of WBCs, Hb concentration and PCV value in the whole blood, serum concentration of immunoglobulines (IgG, IgM and IgA), TP, AL, GL, GLU, CR and T3, and ALT activity in serum of calves. Concentration of TL and CH, and AST activity were higher, while count of RBCs was lower (P<0.05) in calves of heifers than in those of cows. Concentrations of IgG, IgM and IgA were higher (P<0.05) in calves of T3 than in T1 by 32, 81 and 112%, respectively. Count of RBCs, Hb concentration and PCV value, and concentration of TP, AL and GL (P<0.05) and WBCs (P≥0.05) were higher in calves of T3 than in those of T1 and T2. Calves of T3 showed the highest (P<0.05) concentration of TL, CH and GLU and the lowest CR concentration and AST and ALT activity (P<0.05). Concentration of T3 was lower (P<0.05) in T2 and T3 than in T1. Concentration of IgG, IgM and IgA in serum and WBCs count of calves decreased (P≥0.05) on the 3rd day after birth. Count of RBCs, Hb concentration and PCV value increased (P<0.05) by advancing post-calving week. Only, TP, AL, TL, CH, GLU, CR and T3 concentrations and activity of AST and ALT showed different trends of changes by advancing post-calving week (P<0.05).In conclusion, pre- and post-partum yeast culture treatment at a level of 40 g/h/day for heifers and cows is able to enhance their newborn immunity response and improve calf performance with good health status, which allow for raising good male calves of breeding or female calves of milk production.