Skip to main content
PMC home page
Infection and Immunity logoLink to Infection and Immunity
. 1974 Jan;9(1):81–84. doi: 10.1128/iai.9.1.81-84.1974

Impaired Cellular Immunity to Rubella Virus in Congenital Rubella

David A Fuccillo 1,2,3,4, Russell W Steele 1,2,3,4, Sally A Hensen 1,2,3,4, Monroe M Vincent 1,2,3,4, Janet B Hardy 1,2,3,4, Joseph A Bellanti 1,2,3,4
PMCID: PMC414768  PMID: 4808855

Abstract

Specific cell-mediated immunity (CMI) responses to rubella virus were studied in 12 children with documented congenital rubella syndrome employing a 51Cr lymphocytotoxicity microassay. Hemagglutination inhibition antibody was detected in 11 of the 12 children, with titers ranging from 1:4 to 1:128. CMI to rubella virus was demonstrated in only 3 of the 11 antibody-positive children. The 12th child was negative for both hemagglutination inhibition and CMI. Of the three children with a positive CMI response, two had histories of reinfection with rubella virus. These data suggest that congenital rubella infection produces an impaired CMI response which subsequently may be altered by reinfection with rubella virus. The lack of CMI in the presence of antibody and concurrent excretion of live virus in the child with documented congenital rubella infection suggest a factor to be explored in the pathogenesis of this disease.

Full text

PDF
81

Selected References

These references are in PubMed. This may not be the complete list of references from this article.

  1. ALFORD C. A., Jr, NEVA F. A., WELLER T. H. VIROLOGIC AND SEROLOGIC STUDIES ON HUMAN PRODUCTS OF CONCEPTION AFTER MATERNAL RUBELLA. N Engl J Med. 1964 Dec 17;271:1275–1281. doi: 10.1056/NEJM196412172712501. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  2. Allison A. C., Denman A. M., Barnes R. D. Cooperating and controlling functions of thymus-derived lymphocytes in relation to autoimmunity. Lancet. 1971 Jul 17;2(7716):135–140. doi: 10.1016/s0140-6736(71)92306-3. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  3. Bellanti J. A., Artenstein M. S., Olson L. C., Buescher E. L., Luhrs C. E., Milstead K. L. Congenital rubella. Clinicopathologic, virologic, and immunologic studies. Am J Dis Child. 1965 Oct;110(4):464–472. doi: 10.1001/archpedi.1965.02090030484020. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  4. Cooper L. Z., Florman A. L., Ziring P. R., Krugman S. Loss of rubella hemagglutination inhibition antibody in congenital rubella. Failure of seronegative children with congenital rubella to respond to HPV-77 rubella vaccine. Am J Dis Child. 1971 Nov;122(5):397–403. doi: 10.1001/archpedi.1971.02110050067006. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  5. Hancock M. P., Huntley C. C., Sever J. L. Congenital rubella syndrome with immunoglobulin disorder. J Pediatr. 1968 May;72(5):636–645. doi: 10.1016/s0022-3476(68)80006-x. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  6. Marshall W. C., Cope W. A., Soothill J. F., Dudgeon J. A. In vitro lymphocyte response in some immunity deficiency diseases and in intrauterine virus infections. Proc R Soc Med. 1970 Apr;63(4):351–354. [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  7. Menser M. A., Harley J. D., Hertzberg R., Dorman D. C., Murphy A. M. Persistence of virus in lens for three years after prenatal rubella. Lancet. 1967 Aug 19;2(7512):387–388. doi: 10.1016/s0140-6736(67)92007-7. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  8. Montgomery J. R., South M. A., Rawls W. E., Melnick J. L., Olson G. B., Dent P. B., Good R. A. Viral inhibition of lymphocyte response to phytohemagglutinin. Science. 1967 Sep 1;157(3792):1068–1070. doi: 10.1126/science.157.3792.1068. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  9. Olson G. B., South M. A., Good R. A. Phytohaemagglutinin unresponsiveness of lymphocytes from babies with congenital rubella. Nature. 1967 May 13;214(5089):695–696. doi: 10.1038/214695a0. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  10. PLOTKIN S. A., DUDGEON J. A., RAMSAY A. M. LABORATORY STUDIES ON RUBELLA AND THE RUBELLA SYNDROME. Br Med J. 1963 Nov 23;2(5368):1296–1299. doi: 10.1136/bmj.2.5368.1296. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  11. Plotkin S. A., Klaus R. M., Whitely J. P. Hypogammaglobulinemia in an infant with congenital rubella syndrome; failure of 1-adamantanamine to stop irus excretion. J Pediatr. 1966 Dec;69(6):1085–1091. doi: 10.1016/s0022-3476(66)80299-8. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  12. Rawls W. E., Desmyter J., Melnick J. L. Virus carrier cells and virus-free cells in fetal rubella. Proc Soc Exp Biol Med. 1968 Nov;129(2):477–483. doi: 10.3181/00379727-129-33348. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  13. SEVER J. L., SCHIFF G. M., TRAUB R. G. Rubella virus. JAMA. 1962 Nov 10;182:663–671. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  14. Sever J. L., Fuccillo D. A., Gilkeson M. R., Ley A., Traub R. Changing susceptibility to rubella. Obstet Gynecol. 1968 Sep;32(3):365–369. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  15. Simons M. J. Congenital rubella: an immunological paradox? Lancet. 1968 Dec 14;2(7581):1275–1278. doi: 10.1016/s0140-6736(68)91765-0. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  16. Simons M. J., Fitzgerald M. G. Rubella virus and human lymphocytes in culture. Lancet. 1968 Nov 2;2(7575):937–940. doi: 10.1016/s0140-6736(68)91167-7. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  17. Simons M. J., Jack I. Lymphocyte viraemia in congenital rubella. Lancet. 1968 Nov 2;2(7575):953–954. doi: 10.1016/s0140-6736(68)91174-4. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  18. Singer D. B., South M. A., Montgomery J. R., Rawls W. E. Congenital rubella syndrome. Lymphoid tissue and immunologic status. Am J Dis Child. 1969 Jul;118(1):54–61. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  19. Soothill J. F., Hayes K., Dudgeon J. A. The immunoglobulins in congenital rubella. Lancet. 1966 Jun 25;1(7452):1385–1388. doi: 10.1016/s0140-6736(66)90299-6. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  20. Steele R. W., Hensen S. A., Vincent M. M., Fuccillo D. A., Bellanti J. A. A 51 Cr microassay technique for cell-mediated immunity to viruses. J Immunol. 1973 Jun;110(6):1502–1510. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  21. Vincent M. M., Gitnick G. L., Fabiyi A., Hensen S. A., Sever J. L., Huebner R. J. Rubella virus: continuous and concurrent production of complement-fixing antigen and infectious virus in suspension cultures. Appl Microbiol. 1967 Sep;15(5):1198–1201. doi: 10.1128/am.15.5.1198-1201.1967. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  22. WELLER T. H., ALFORD C. A., Jr, NEVA F. A. RETROSPECTIVE DIAGNOSIS BY SEROLOGIC MEANS OF CONGENITALLY ACQUIRED RUBELLA INFECTIONS. N Engl J Med. 1964 May 14;270:1039–1041. doi: 10.1056/NEJM196405142702004. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  23. White L. R., Leikin S., Villavicencio O., Abernathy W., Avery G., Sever J. L. Immune competence in congenital rubella: lymphocyte transformation, delayed hypersensitivity, and response to vaccination. J Pediatr. 1968 Aug;73(2):229–234. doi: 10.1016/s0022-3476(68)80073-3. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]

Articles from Infection and Immunity are provided here courtesy of American Society for Microbiology (ASM)

RESOURCES