ABSTRACT
Interferon status, cell-mediated and humoral immunity were analyzed in 52 newborns during the first day of life, who were born from mothers infected with cytomegalovirus and herpes simplex virus and treated with viferon in the complex therapy. Comparative group included 44 newborns from mothers with the same infections, who did not receive viferon in the complex therapy. IFN status before delivery as well as parameters of immunity in pregnant women before and after viferon therapy were investigated. Analysis of the phenotype characteristics of lymphocytes in women, treated with viferon, showed increase in relative number of T lymphocytes, CD8(+) lymphocytes, growth of decreased and reduction of increased values of immunoregulatory index, increase in relative number of natural killers. Titers of IFN-alpha and IFN-gamma were higher as compared to both the control group and the values in untreated with viferon pregnant women. Decrease of IFN-alpha production and increase of IFN-gamma level were found when IFN status was evaluated in newborns of the experimental group as compared to newborns from mothers, who were not treated with viferon. Viferon treatment of pregnant women was shown to result in normalization of phenotype characteristics of lymphocytes of newborns, in increasing HLA DR antigen expression and inhibition of antigen stimulation, reducing number of NK and activated NK. Thus, viferon treatment of pregnant women with CMV and HSV infections in the 3rd trimester of gestation contributed to favorable course of pregnancy, enhanced antiviral immunity, and reduced frequency of intrauterine infections. Viferon treatment of the infected mothers decreased antigenic load of fetal immunity and normalized immunological parameters in newborns, contributing to development of normal immune response in case of intrauterine infection.
