High level of soluble human leukocyte antigen (HLA)-G at beginning of pregnancy as predictor of risk of malaria during infancy

• Published in: Scientific reports 2019-06, Vol.9 (1), p.9160-9, Article 9160
• Main Authors: d’Almeida, Tania C., Sadissou, Ibrahim, Sagbohan, Mermoz, Milet, Jacqueline, Avokpaho, Euripide, Gineau, Laure, Sabbagh, Audrey, Moutairou, Kabirou, Donadi, Eduardo A., Favier, Benoit, Pennetier, Cédric, Baldet, Thierry, Moiroux, Nicolas, Carosella, Edgardo, Moreau, Philippe, Rouas-Freiss, Nathalie, Cottrell, Gilles, Courtin, David, Garcia, André
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: 38/1; 631/250; 692/499; Adult; Children; Female; Fetuses; Histocompatibility antigen HLA; HLA-G Antigens - chemistry; HLA-G Antigens - metabolism; Humanities and Social Sciences; Humans; Immunological tolerance; Infant; Infections; Insect bites; Life Sciences; Malaria; Malaria - epidemiology; Male; multidisciplinary; Neonates; Placenta; Pregnancy; Proportional Hazards Models; Risk Assessment; Santé publique et épidémiologie; Science; Science (multidisciplinary); Solubility
• ISSN: 2045-2322; 2045-2322
• DOI: 10.1038/s41598-019-45688-w

Placental malaria has been associated with an immune tolerance phenomenon and a higher susceptibility to malaria infection during infancy. HLA-G is involved in fetal maternal immune tolerance by inhibiting maternal immunity. During infections HLA-G can be involved in immune escape of pathogens by creating a tolerogenic environment. Recent studies have shown an association between the risk of malaria and HLA-G at both genetic and protein levels. Moreover, women with placental malaria have a higher probability of giving birth to children exhibiting high sHLA-G, independently of their own level during pregnancy. Our aim was to explore the association between the level of maternal soluble HLA-G and the risk of malaria infection in their newborns. Here, 400 pregnant women and their children were actively followed-up during 24 months. The results show a significant association between the level of sHLA-G at the first antenatal visit and the time to first malaria infection during infancy adjusted to the risk of exposure to vector bites (aHR = 1.02, 95%CI [1.01–1.03], p = 0.014). The level of sHLA-G is a significant predictor of the occurrence of malaria infection during infancy consistent with the hypothesis that mother sHLA-G could be a biomarker of malaria susceptibility in children.