CMV-specific humoral immunity among HIV-infected pregnant women
Cytomegalovirus, a member of the Herpesviridae family, establishes lifelong persistence following initial infection. In the majority of cases, primary infection remains asymptomatic. However, congenital cytomegalovirus has the potential to result in damage and sequelae in infected infants. Furthermore, immunocompromised individuals, including organ transplant recipients and people living with AIDS, constitute a population at elevated risk for severe manifestations of CMV infection. In Cameroon, nearly all children acquire CMV by the age of 14, reflecting a high level of virus circulation and consequently a high risk of congenital infection. At the same time, the prevalence of HIV in Cameroon remains approximately 4%. An HIV infection causes immune system dysfunction and is considered a risk factor for congenital CMV. Although HIV and CMV have been studied as individual pathogens, the interaction between maternal HIV Infection and CMV transmission during pregnancy deserves more attention, particularly in high-prevalence settings.
We hypothesize that the humoral immune response to CMV differs in HIV-positive and HIV-negative pregnant women. The objective of the present study is to assess the humoral response. It occurs that highly neutralizing antibodies play a key role and may provide protective immunity in healthy women, since chronic infection leads less frequently to transmission than primary infection.
In this proposed study, antibodies against CMV are tested quantitatively as well as qualitatively in HIV-positive and HIV-negative pregnant women from Cameroon in comparison with HIV-negative pregnant women from Germany. Furthermore, the neutralizing capacity of the antibodies in HIV-positive pregnant women from Cameroon is being analyzed to detect whether the influence of HIV on the neutralizing capacity may be one of the reasons for the higher transmission rate. This project seeks to enhance the comprehension of how HIV influences the humoral response to CMV.
