Maternal Th17 Profile after Zika Virus Infection Is Involved in Congenital Zika Syndrome Development in Children

• Published in: Viruses Vol. 15; no. 6; p. 1320
• Main Authors: Fialho, Eder M S, Veras, Emanoel M, Jesus, Caroline M de, Gomes, Líllian N, Khouri, Ricardo, Sousa, Patrícia S, Ribeiro, Marizélia R C, Batista, Rosângela F L, Costa, Luciana C, Nascimento, Flávia R F, Silva, Antônio A M, Soeiro-Pereira, Paulo V
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Switzerland MDPI AG 04-06-2023; MDPI
• Subjects: Antibodies; Birth defects; blood serum; Brazil; Brazil - epidemiology; CD4 antigen; Child; Children; Complications and side effects; Cytokines; Data analysis; Dengue fever; disease infection; Epidemics; Female; Health aspects; Helper cells; Humans; Immune response; immune system; immunophenotyping; Infections; Inflammation; Interleukin 17; Leukocytes; Lymphocytes B; Lymphocytes T; Microcephaly; Microencephaly; Mothers; neutralization tests; Pathogens; Pediatric research; Perinatal infection; phenotype; Phenotyping; Pregnancy; Pregnancy Complications, Infectious - epidemiology; Pregnant women; Pruritus; Risk factors; Tumor necrosis factor-TNF; vertical transmission; Viral infections; Viruses; Zika Virus; Zika Virus Infection - epidemiology; Brazil; New York; United States > US; microcephaly; vertical transmission; interleukin-17; disease infection
• ISSN: 1999-4915; 1999-4915
• DOI: 10.3390/v15061320

Brazil is one of the countries that experienced an epidemic of microcephaly and other congenital manifestations related to maternal Zika virus infection which can result in Congenital Zika Syndrome (CZS). Since the Zika virus can modulate the immune system, studying mothers' and children's immune profiles become essential to better understanding CZS development. Therefore, we investigated the lymphocyte population profile of children who developed CZS and their mothers' immune response in this study. The study groups were formed from the Plaque Reduction Neutralization Test (PRNT) (CZS+ group) result. To evaluate the lymphocyte population profile, we performed phenotyping of peripheral lymphocytes and quantification of serum cytokine levels. The immunophenotyping and cytokine profile was correlated between CSZ+ children and their mothers. Both groups exhibited increased interleukin-17 levels and a reduction in the subpopulation of CD4+ T lymphocytes. In contrast, the maternal group showed a reduction in the population of B lymphocytes. Thus, the development of CZS is related to the presence of an inflammatory immune profile in children and their mothers characterized by Th17 activation.