Mahmoud Abdelwahab (United States of America)

The Ohio State University Departments of Obstetrics and Gynecology

Author Of 1 Presentation

LONGITUDINAL CYTOKINE ANALYSIS OF COVID-19 PREGNANT WOMEN AND THEIR INFANTS REVEALS PERSISTENTLY DYSREGULATED INFLAMMATORY RESPONSES

Date
Wed, 11.05.2022
Session Time
10:00 - 11:00
Session Type
Oral Presentations Session
Room
DIMITRIS MITROPOULOS HALL
Lecture Time
10:02 - 10:12

Abstract

Backgrounds:

COVID-19 is associated with adverse maternal outcomes and may affect infant immune development. There is a need to understand its impact on these unique populations. Our aim is to characterize the cytokine profiles in women with COVID-19 during pregnancy and their infants.

Methods

From August 2020–October 2021, pregnant women with (C19) and without COVID-19 (HC) and their infants were enrolled in a multicenter study. Blood samples were obtained at delivery, cord blood (CB), and at birth (<48 hours), 1 week, 1 month, and 2 months. Samples were analyzed using Olink inflammation panel and data with R software.

Results:

We included 36 C19 mother-infant dyads (2 infected in 1st trimester, 11 in 2nd, and 23 in 3rd) and 17 HC. Compared with HC, C19 showed increased proinflammatory cytokines (IL6, IL17A) and growth factors (CSF1); and decreased cytokines related to apoptosis, migration, and chemotaxis (CD244, CXCL5, DNER) at delivery. Longitudinal analysis of CB and infants born to C19 and age-matched HC identified 17 cytokines that were significantly different and with variable trajectories over time: IL17C, IL1a, FGF21, 4EBP1, CCL20, CXCL11, SIRT2, STAMBP, ADA were increased in C19 CB, at birth and 1 week; while IL4, VEGFA, IL18 were decreased. FGF21, VEGFA, CCL19, CCL23, LIF, ARTN, NT3 were decreased at 1 and 2 months (Figure).

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Conclusions/Learning Points:

We identified significantly different cytokine profiles in C19 compared with HC. COVID-19 during pregnancy induced distinct cytokine signatures in infants that persist at least until 2 months. Infant cytokine profiles exhibited different patterns than their mothers. These observations suggest that COVID-19 during pregnancy alters immunologic profiles of women and their infants and highlights the need for longitudinal studies to determine the long-term immunologic impact in both women and their children.

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