Effect of cytomegalovirus infection on humoral immune responses to select vaccines administered during infancy

Abstract

Cytomegalovirus (CMV) infection in neonates has been associated with functional exhaustion of T-cells. We explored humoral immune responses from vaccination between congenital CMV-infected, postnatal CMV-infected and CMV-uninfected infants. Whole blood from infants with known CMV status was tested at seven months age, by in-house Luminex multiplex immunoassay, for antibodies to select vaccines in the primary series of childhood immunisations: Diphtheria-Tetanus-acellular Pertussis-Haemophilus Influenzae type b-Hepatitis B (DTaP-Hib-HBV). Immune responses to the primary series of DTaP-Hib-HBV vaccine was similar in congenital CMV-infected, postnatal CMV-infected and CMV-uninfected infants at seven months age. Close to 100% of congenital CMV-infected, postnatal CMV-infected and CMV-uninfected infants had antigen-specific IgG-concentrations above the correlate or surrogate of protection to four of five antigens (HBsAg, TT, DT, PT). This suggests CMV does not have any deleterious effect on humoral immune responses to the primary series of DTaP-Hib-HBV vaccination in black-African children.

Keywords: Africa; Congenital CMV; Immune response; Immunisation; Vaccine.