PRESS-NEWS.org - Press Release Distribution
PRESS RELEASES DISTRIBUTION

Study uncovers new explanation for infection susceptibility in newborns

2013-11-07
(Press-News.org) Contact information: Nick Miller
nicholas.miller@cchmc.org
513-803-6035
Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center
Study uncovers new explanation for infection susceptibility in newborns CINCINNATI – Cells that allow helpful bacteria to safely colonize the intestines of newborn infants also suppress their immune systems to make them more vulnerable to infections, according to new research in Nature.

Published online Nov. 6, the study could prompt a major shift in how medicine views the threat of neonatal infections – and how researchers go about looking for new strategies to stop it, said scientists at Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center who conducted the research. Leading up to this study, the prevailing view has been that newborn infants are susceptible to infection because their immune system cells are immature or underdeveloped.

"The first few days after birth represent a critical developmental period when a baby's immune system must adapt to many new stimulants. This includes environmental microbes that are not present in the womb, but immediately colonize tissues such as the intestine and skin," said Sing Sing Way, MD, senior investigator and a physician in the Division of Infectious Diseases at Cincinnati Children's. "Our findings fundamentally change how we look at neonatal susceptibility to infection by suggesting it is caused by active immune suppression during this developmental period, as opposed to the immaturity of immune cells."

The suppressive cells in this case are CD71+ precursors of mature red blood cells. The researchers found CD71+ precursor cells are enriched in newborn mice (and in human umbilical cord blood) to prevent an over reactive immune response as infants adapt to their new microbe-filled world. CD71+ cells express an enzyme called arginase-2 that is essential to suppress immune cells. Researchers said this process plays a vital role in infants' developing intestines by preventing an onslaught of inflammation in response to colonizing bacteria that help digestion and related functions.

Researchers used a series of laboratory tests in human blood cells and mouse models to show temporary immune suppression in newborns extends beyond the intestines to also affect other parts of the body. Although newborn vulnerability to infection is well known, Way and his colleagues began their study because earlier research has shown the extent of compromised immunity in infant mice varies significantly depending on specific experimental conditions. This led the authors to hypothesize that there must be a better explanation for compromised immunity in neonates besides pointing to immature immune cells.

The scientists transferred adult immune system cells in bulk from adult mice into newborn mice to see if this would boost neonatal immunity during exposure to infection. Instead of enhancing immunity, researchers said the production of protective immune system cytokines in the adult cells remained blunted in the newborn mice. Similar results were observed when adult immune cells were mixed with neonatal cells in laboratory cultures.

In a complementary experiment, researchers transferred newborn immune system cells into adult mice exposed to infection. In the adult mice, the neonatal immune cells produced the protective cytokine TNF-alpha, which helps ramp up the immune system's protective response against infection.

Way and his colleagues said the benefits of CD71+ immune suppression to allow healthy bacterial colonization of intestines are essential, and this outweighs the threat of systemic infant infections. But the researchers stressed the importance of follow up studies to develop new strategies for protecting newborns from systemic infections. The goal would be to offer this protection while still allowing CD71+ cells to do their job in helping develop healthy intestines.

One strategy being explored by investigators in their ongoing research is possible modulation or control of immune suppression by CD71+ cells. The authors were careful to emphasize that far more follow up study is needed before direct application of their findings to human infants.

### Funding for the study came from the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (R01AI087830, R01AI100934), the National Heart Lung and Blood Institute (R01HL103745) and the Burroughs Wellcome Fund.

About Cincinnati Children's: Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center ranks third in the nation among all Honor Roll hospitals in U.S. News and World Report's 2013 Best Children's Hospitals ranking. It is ranked #1 for cancer and in the top 10 for nine of 10 pediatric specialties. Cincinnati Children's, a non-profit organization, is one of the top three recipients of pediatric research grants from the National Institutes of Health, and a research and teaching affiliate of the University of Cincinnati College of Medicine. The medical center is internationally recognized for improving child health and transforming delivery of care through fully integrated, globally recognized research, education and innovation. Additional information can be found at http://www.cincinnatichildrens.org. Connect on the Cincinnati Children's blog, via Facebook and on Twitter.


ELSE PRESS RELEASES FROM THIS DATE:

Newly discovered predatory dinosaur 'king of gore' reveals the origins of T. rex

2013-11-07
Newly discovered predatory dinosaur 'king of gore' reveals the origins of T. rex November 6, 2013, Salt Lake City, UT – A remarkable new species of tyrannosaur has been unearthed in Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument (GSENM), southern Utah. The huge ...

New study identifies signs of autism in the first months of life

2013-11-07
New study identifies signs of autism in the first months of life Scientists at Marcus Autism Center, Children's Healthcare of Atlanta and Emory University School of Medicine identify markers of social disability present in 2 to 6-month-old infants later diagnosed ...

RNA controls splicing during gene expression, further evidence of 'RNA world' origin in modern life

2013-11-07
RNA controls splicing during gene expression, further evidence of 'RNA world' origin in modern life RNA is the key functional component of spliceosomes, molecular machines that control how genes are expressed, report scientists from the University ...

New research shows clear association between ACE inhibitors and acute kidney injury

2013-11-07
New research shows clear association between ACE inhibitors and acute kidney injury These and similar drugs are the second most prescribed on the NHS Cambridge scientists have found an association between ACE inhibitors (and similar drugs) and acute kidney ...

First study of Russian meteor

2013-11-07
First study of Russian meteor The meteor that exploded over Chelyabinsk, Russia in February 2013 was "a wake-up call," according to a University of California, Davis scientist who participated in analyzing the event. The work is published Nov. 7 in the journal ...

Climate change scientists must turn their attention to clean skies

2013-11-07
Climate change scientists must turn their attention to clean skies Natural aerosols, such as emissions from volcanoes or plants, may contribute more uncertainty than previously thought to estimates of how the climate might respond to greenhouse gas emissions. An ...

Drilling for hydrocarbons can impact aquatic life

2013-11-07
Drilling for hydrocarbons can impact aquatic life Drilling sumps can leak into surface water The degradation of drilling sumps associated with hydrocarbon extraction can negatively affect aquatic ecosystems, according to new research published November 6th in the open-access ...

The presence of human settlements has a negative impact on tiger connectivity

2013-11-07
The presence of human settlements has a negative impact on tiger connectivity Tigers are dispersing over much greater distances than previously found Human settlements and roads place greater barriers on tiger dispersal than distance, according to new research published ...

Lower education levels linked to unhealthy diets

2013-11-07
Lower education levels linked to unhealthy diets Higher physical activity in less-educated people is related to unhealthy diets People with lower levels of education may eat larger amounts of unhealthy, calorically dense food than those with a higher education level, ...

Earliest record of copulating insects discovered

2013-11-07
Earliest record of copulating insects discovered Fossil of copulating insects discovered from Middle Jurassic period Scientists have found the oldest fossil depicting copulating insects in northeastern China, published November 6th in the open-access journal PLOS ONE ...

LAST 30 PRESS RELEASES:

Breathable yet protective: Next-gen medical textiles with micro/nano networks

Frequency-engineered MXene supercapacitors enable efficient pulse charging in TENG–SC hybrid systems

Developed an AI-based classification system for facial pigmented lesions

Achieving 20% efficiency in halogen-free organic solar cells via isomeric additive-mediated sequential processing

New book Terraglossia reclaims language, Country and culture

The most effective diabetes drugs don't reach enough patients yet

Breast cancer risk in younger women may be influenced by hormone therapy

Strategies for staying smoke-free after rehab

Commentary questions the potential benefit of levothyroxine treatment of mild hypothyroidism during pregnancy

Study projects over 14 million preventable deaths by 2030 if USAID defunding continues

New study reveals 33% gap in transplant access for UK’s poorest children

Dysregulated epigenetic memory in early embryos offers new clues to the inheritance of polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS)

IVF and IUI pregnancy rates remain stable across Europe, despite an increasing uptake of single embryo transfer

It takes a village: Chimpanzee babies do better when their moms have social connections

From lab to market: how renewable polymers could transform medicine

Striking increase in obesity observed among youth between 2011 and 2023

No evidence that medications trigger microscopic colitis in older adults

NYUAD researchers find link between brain growth and mental health disorders

Aging-related inflammation is not universal across human populations, new study finds

University of Oregon to create national children’s mental health center with $11 million federal grant

Rare achievement: UTA undergrad publishes research

Fact or fiction? The ADHD info dilemma

Genetic ancestry linked to risk of severe dengue

Genomes reveal the Norwegian lemming as one of the youngest mammal species

Early birds get the burn: Monash study finds early bedtimes associated with more physical activity

Groundbreaking analysis provides day-by-day insight into prehistoric plankton’s capacity for change

Southern Ocean saltier, hotter and losing ice fast as decades-long trend unexpectedly reverses

Human fishing reshaped Caribbean reef food webs, 7000-year old exposed fossilized reefs reveal

Killer whales, kind gestures: Orcas offer food to humans in the wild

Hurricane ecology research reveals critical vulnerabilities of coastal ecosystems

[Press-News.org] Study uncovers new explanation for infection susceptibility in newborns