Characteristics of RSV-Specific Maternal Antibodies in Plasma of Hospitalized, Acute RSV Patients under Three Months of Age

• Published in: PloS one 2017-01, Vol.12 (1), p.e0170877-e0170877
• Main Authors: Jans, Jop, Wicht, Oliver, Widjaja, Ivy, Ahout, Inge M L, de Groot, Ronald, Guichelaar, Teun, Luytjes, Willem, de Jonge, Marien I, de Haan, Cornelis A M, Ferwerda, Gerben
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Acute Disease; Age; Antibodies, Viral - blood; Antibodies, Viral - immunology; Antibody Affinity - immunology; Antibody Specificity - immunology; Antigenic characteristics; Antigens; Antigens, Viral - immunology; Avidity; Biology and Life Sciences; Development and progression; Disease control; Epitopes; Epitopes - immunology; Female; Fetal diseases; Glycoproteins - immunology; Health aspects; Hospitalization; Humans; IgG antibody; Immune system; Immunoglobulin G; Immunoglobulin G - blood; Immunoglobulins; Immunology; Infant; Infants; Infections; Infectious diseases; Intensive care; Laboratories; Life sciences; Male; Maternal-fetal exchange; Medicine and Health Sciences; Neutralization; Neutralization Tests; Observations; Oxygen; Oxygen content; Oxygen therapy; Patients; Pediatrics; People and Places; Physical Sciences; Plasma; Proteins; Public health; Research and Analysis Methods; Respiratory diseases; Respiratory syncytial virus; Respiratory Syncytial Virus Infections - blood; Respiratory Syncytial Virus Infections - immunology; Respiratory Syncytial Virus, Human - immunology; Risk factors; Severity of Illness Index; Tachypnea; Vaccines; Veterinary medicine; Virology; Viruses
• ISSN: 1932-6203; 1932-6203
• DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0170877

Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) is the leading cause for respiratory illness that requires hospitalization in infancy. High levels of maternal antibodies can protect against RSV infection. However, RSV-infected infants can suffer from severe disease symptoms even in the presence of high levels of RSV-specific antibodies. This study analyzes several serological characteristics to explore potential deficiencies or surpluses of antibodies that could relate to severe disease symptoms. We compare serum antibodies from hospitalized patients who suffered severe symptoms as well as uninfected infants. Disease severity markers were oxygen therapy, tachypnea, oxygen saturation, admission to the intensive care unit and duration of hospitalization. Antibodies against RSV G protein and a prefusion F epitope correlated with in vitro neutralization. Avidity of RSV-specific IgG antibodies was lower in RSV-infected infants compared to uninfected controls. Severe disease symptoms were unrelated to RSV-specific IgG antibody titers, avidity of RSV-IgG, virus neutralization capacity or titers against pre- and postfusion F or G protein ectodomains and the prefusion F antigenic site Ø. In conclusion, the detailed serological characterization did not indicate dysfunctional or epitope-skewed composition of serum antibodies in hospitalized RSV-infected infants suffering from severe disease symptoms. It remains unclear, whether specific antibody fractions could diminish disease symptoms.