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. 2010 Oct;55(2):143-7.
doi: 10.1097/QAI.0b013e3181eb301e.

The role of transplacental microtransfusions of maternal lymphocytes in in utero HIV transmission

Tzong-Hae Lee  1 , Daniel M Chafets, Robert J Biggar, Joseph M McCune, Michael P Busch
Affiliations

The role of transplacental microtransfusions of maternal lymphocytes in in utero HIV transmission

Tzong-Hae Lee et al. J Acquir Immune Defic Syndr. 2010 Oct.

Abstract

Background: The mechanisms of HIV transmission from mothers to infants are poorly understood. A possible mechanism of in utero transmission is transplacental transfer of HIV-infected maternal leukocytes into the fetal circulation during pregnancy.

Objective: To determine if the frequency of in utero HIV infection correlates with presence or levels of maternal cells (MCs) in placenta-derived cord blood.

Methods: DNA was extracted from dried cord blood spots (DBS) from newborns born to HIV+ mothers and corresponding maternal DBS specimens. Paired mother-infant samples were probed to identify unique maternal sequences targeted by 24 allele-specific real-time polymerase chain reaction assays. Infant DBS-derived DNA was then probed in replicate analyses for noninherited maternal allelic sequences. Rates of detection and levels of MCs in DBS samples of HIV(+) and HIV(-) newborns were compared.

Results: Of 114 mother-infant pairs with informative alleles, 38 newborns were HIV(+) and 76 HIV(-), based on detection of HIV DNA/RNA at birth. MC were detected in 23 of 38 HIV(+) newborns (60.5%) and in 47 of 76 HIV(-) newborns (61.8%). The mean and median concentrations of nucleated MCs in DBS for the HIV(+)/MC(+) newborns (n = 23) were 0.33% and 0.27%, respectively, compared with 0.09% and 0.10% for the HIV(-)/MC(+) newborns (n = 47) (2-sample T test for means: P = 0.78).

Conclusions: There was no significant difference in rates of detection or concentrations of MC in DBS between HIV(+) and HIV(-) newborns. Therefore, we could not demonstrate a correlation between MC in DBS, assumed to reflect levels of in utero maternal-fetal cell trafficking, and the risk of in utero HIV transmission.

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Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Comparison of genomic DNA recovery of dry blood samples between the HIV(+) group and the HIV(−) group. The Y-axis represents the concentration of genomic DNA (copies/50 uL of whole blood) and the X-axis represents the HIV infection status of dry blood samples.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Comparison of the number of maternal cells in cord blood between HIV(+) and HIV(−) cord blood. The Y-axis represents the number of maternal cells in 50 uL of cord blood and the X-axis represents the HIV infection status of dry blood samples.
Figure 3
Figure 3
Comparison of the concentration of maternal cells in cord blood between HIV(+) and HIV(−) cord blood. The Y-axis represents the percentage of maternal cells in cord blood and the X-axis represents the HIV infection status of dry blood samples.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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