Elevated interferon-alpha in maternal and umbilical cord blood and in the placental trophoblast suggests natural protection against vertical transmission of HIV-1 in a Kenyan cohort
Zachar, V.; Hager, H.; Koppelhus, U.; Zacharova, V.; Liu, X.; Bambra, C.; Goustin, A.S.; Ebbesen, P.
AIDS 11(3): 383-385
1997
ISSN/ISBN: 0269-9370 PMID: 9147431 Document Number: 267992
Interferon- alpha (IFN- alpha ) was present in the cord blood and simultaneously in the placentas in five (3.3%) of 152 HIV-positive mothers in Nairobi, Kenya. In four of the five mothers, elevated levels were also seen in the matched maternal blood. No viral RNA was detected in the cord blood samples from the group with elevated IFN- alpha , whereas in the control group of six HIV-positive pairs negative for IFN- alpha HIV-1 RNA was detected in three (50%) of the six cord blood samples. The absence of HIV-1 RNA was significantly associated with elevated IFN- alpha .