Journal
JOURNAL OF INFECTIOUS DISEASES
Volume 217, Issue 3, Pages 438-442Publisher
OXFORD UNIV PRESS INC
DOI: 10.1093/infdis/jix328
Keywords
Pregnancy; pandemic influenza A virus; immune response
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Funding
- Centers of Excellence for Influenza Research and Surveillance, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases [HHSN266200700005C]
- ALSAC, St. Jude Children's Research Hospital
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Pregnancy has been associated with severe influenza, an association highlighted during the 2009 pandemic of influenza A(H1N1) virus (A[H1N1]pdm09) infection. To assess the underlying mechanism, we infected pregnant and non-pregnant ferrets with A(H1N1) pdm09 virus. A(H1N1) pdm09-infected pregnant ferrets also had higher levels of inflammatory cytokines in their pulmonary tracts. Systemically, total CD8(+) T cell counts and A(H1N1) pdm09-specific B-cell responses in blood were significantly lower in pregnant ferrets. This model predicts that the poorer outcome for pregnant women during the A(H1N1) pdm09 pandemic was due to an elevated level of viral replication and to a cytokine imbalance that led to a less effective immune response.
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