Journal article

Pregnancy and malaria exposure are associated with changes in the B cell pool and in plasma eotaxin levels

P Requena, JJ Campo, AJ Umbers, M Ome, R Wangnapi, D Barrios, LJ Robinson, P Samol, A Rosanas-Urgell, I Ubillos, A Mayor, M López, E De Lazzari, M Arévalo-Herrera, C Fernández-Becerra, H Del Portillo, CE Chitnis, PM Siba, A Bardají, I Mueller Show all

Journal of Immunology | Published : 2014

Abstract

Pregnancy triggers immunological changes aimed to tolerate the fetus, but its impact on B lymphocytes is poorly understood. In addition, exposure to the Plasmodium parasite is associated with altered distribution of peripheral memory B cell (MBC) subsets. To study the combined impact of high malaria exposure and pregnancy in B cell subpopulations, we analyzed PBMCs from pregnant and nonpregnant individuals from a malaria-nonendemic country (Spain) and from a high malaria-endemic country (Papua New Guinea). In the malaria-naive cohorts, pregnancy was associated with a significant expansion of all switched (IgD-) MBC and a decrease of naive B cells. Malaria-exposed women had more atypical MBC ..

View full abstract

University of Melbourne Researchers

Grants

Awarded by National Institutes of Health


Funding Acknowledgements

The PREGVAX project was supported by European Union Seventh Framework Programme (FP7/2007-2013) Grant 201588 and Ministerio de Economia y Competitividad (National R&D Internationalisation Programme, EUROSALUD 2008, Spain) Grant EUS2009-03560. In addition, Papua New Guinea studies were supported by the Malaria in Pregnancy Consortium through Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation Grant 46099. C.D. was supported by a fellowship from the Ministerio de Economia y Competitividad (RYC-2008-02631); I.M. was supported by a National Health and Medical Research Council Senior Research Fellowship (GNT1043345); and L.J.R. was supported by a National Health and Medical Research Council Early Career Fellowship (1016443). C.D. and H.d.P. are affiliates and members of the European Union FP7 Network of Excellence EviMalaR.