Immunology

Summary
The investigators conducting this study analyzed blood samples from pregnant women (34th gestational week) and from cord blood (n=346 mother-child pairs). They looked at Treg numbers and maternal cytokine production, and at age 1 evaluated total and specific IgE in children's blood. They also analyzed environmental exposures and disease outcomes by questionnaires. They were interested in determining the factors that predisposed to the development of atopic disease.
 
They found that boys had lower Treg numbers compared with girls. They also found that a parenteral history of atopy (particularly maternal hayfever and paternal asthma) lowered Treg numbers in cord blood. Maternal cytokines IL-13, IL-17E, and interferon gamma also were associated with diminished cord blood Treg numbers. Exposure to environmental tobacco smoke during pregnancy decreased Treg numbers as well. Children with lower Treg numbers at birth had a higher risk of developing atopic dermatitis.
 
The authors concluded that both environmental exposures and genetic factors affected the presence of cord blood Treg numbers and that low Treg numbers predicted the early onset of atopic dermatitis.  
 
Reference
Hinz D, et al. Cord blood Tregs with stable FOXP3 expression are influenced by prenatal environment and associated with atopic dermatitis at the age of 1 year. Journal of Allergy 2012; 67(3):380-389.