Maternal Helminth Infection Causes Dysfunctional B Cell Development in Male Offspring.

ABSTRACT: Infections during pregnancy are known to trigger alterations in offspring immunity, often leading to increased disease susceptibility. Maternal helminth infections correlate with lower Ab titers to certain childhood immunizations and putative decreased vaccine efficacy. The mechanisms that underlie how maternal infection blunts offspring humoral responses are unclear. Using our murine model of maternal schistosomiasis, we found that maternal helminth infection decreases the germinal center response of all offspring to tetanus immunization. However, only male offspring have defects in memory B cell and long-lived plasma cell generation. We found this sex-specific aberration begins during B cell development within the bone marrow via alteration of the IL-7 niche and persists throughout antig

SUBMITTER: Gibbs LC 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC11537230 | biostudies-literature | 2024 Oct

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature