Immune Response to BCG Vaccination in Neonates Born to HIV and LTBI Infected and Non-infected Mothers

Maternal infections affect the basal immune status of neonates. One of the possible mechanism is the fetomaternal microchimerism, in which some cells and active substances are exchanged bi-directionally between maternal and fetal circulation through placenta. Even in the absence of a direct (vertical) transmission of pathogens to fetuses, certain infections make the neonates more prone to allergies and some adverse events of early vaccinations. We postulate that the basal immune status of neonates born to HIV and LTBI infected mothers is primed by gestational exposure to immunological active molecules, which could results in an altered response to early BCG vaccination. Transcripts expression identified by RNA sequencing are compared between sets of mother-child and their respective umbilical cord blood, and between groups of infected and non-infected pairs.