Journal article
A randomised controlled trial of the effects of albendazole in pregnancy on maternal responses to mycobacterial antigens and infant responses to bacille Calmette-Guérin (BCG) immunisation [ISRCTN32849447]
- Abstract:
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Background: Maternal schistosomiasis and filariasis have been shown to influence infant responses to neonatal bacille Calmette-Guérin (BCG) immunisation but the effects of maternal hookworm, and of de-worming in pregnancy, are unknown.
Methods: In Entebbe, Uganda, we conducted a randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial of a single dose of 400 mg of albendazole in the second trimester of pregnancy. Neonates received BCG. Interferon-gamma (IFN-γ) and interleukin (IL)-5 responses to a mycobacterial antigen (crude culture filtrate proteins (CFP) of Mycobacterium tuberculosis) were measured in a whole blood assay. We analysed results for binary variables using χ2 tests and logistic regression. We analysed continuous variables using Wilcoxon's tests.
Results: Maternal hookworm was associated with reduced maternal IFN-γ responses to CFP (adjusted odds ratio for IFN-γ > median response: 0.14 (95% confidence interval 0.02–0.83, p = 0.021). Conversely, maternal hookworm was associated with subsequent increased IFN-γ responses in their one-year-old infants (adjusted OR 17.65 (1.20–258.66; p = 0.013)). Maternal albendazole tended to reduce these effects.
Conclusion: Untreated hookworm infection in pregnancy was associated with reduced maternal IFN-γ responses to mycobacterial antigens, but increased responses in their infants one year after BCG immunisation. The mechanisms of these effects, and their implications for protective immunity remain, to be determined.
- Publication status:
- Published
- Peer review status:
- Peer reviewed
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(Preview, Version of record, pdf, 238.4KB, Terms of use)
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- Publisher copy:
- 10.1186/1471-2334-5-115
Authors
- Publisher:
- BioMed Central
- Journal:
- BMC Infectious Diseases More from this journal
- Volume:
- 5
- Article number:
- 115
- Publication date:
- 2005-12-21
- Acceptance date:
- 2005-12-21
- DOI:
- EISSN:
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1471-2334
- Language:
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English
- Keywords:
- Pubs id:
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484108
- UUID:
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uuid:a2eb73ef-aefc-401d-ba63-ed67925c8839
- Local pid:
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pubs:484108
- Source identifiers:
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484108
- Deposit date:
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2014-09-18
- ARK identifier:
Terms of use
- Copyright holder:
- Elliott et al
- Copyright date:
- 2005
- Notes:
- © 2005 Elliott et al; licensee BioMed Central Ltd. This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
- Licence:
- CC Attribution (CC BY)
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