Key result
Lower gestational age and older maternal age were associated with lower neutralizing antibody titers against Parechovirus A3 in cord blood, with approximately 70% of samples having low titers (≤ 1:16).
Why the study?
Parechovirus A3 causes severe infections such as sepsis and meningoencephalitis in neonates and young infants, but its serum epidemiology and association with perinatal factors were unclear.
Cross-Sectional (n=1,033)
Neonates born at a lower gestational age and to older mothers have lower neutralizing antibody titers against Parechovirus A3, indicating higher vulnerability to severe infection.
Answers are grounded in this paper and cite their sources.
Most neonates may lack Parechovirus A3 protection at birth; leaves open whether maternal age and gestational age modify infection risk.
BACKGROUND: Parechovirus A3 (PeV-A3) is a pathogen that causes severe infectious diseases such as sepsis and meningoencephalitis in neonates and young infants. In this study, we aimed to measure the neutralizing antibody titer (NAT) against PeV-A3 in paired maternal and cord blood samples and to clarify the serum epidemiology of PeV-A3 and the association between the NAT and perinatal factors. METHODS: NATs against PeV-A3 were measured in 1033 mothers (maternal and cord blood pairs; total of 2066 samples) who delivered their infant in Fukushima Prefecture between December 2013 and June 2014. RD-18S cells were used to measure NATs against PeV-A3. The association between NATs against PeV-A3 in maternal and cord blood and perinatal factors was determined using multivariate logistic regression analysis. RESULTS: The median gestational age of the infants was 39 weeks 4 days (interquartile range, 38 weeks 4 days to 40 weeks 3 days). The NATs against PeV-A3 in maternal blood and in cord blood were almost the same. The proportion of samples assigned to the low-titer group (NAT ≤ 1:16) was approximately 70%, and the proportion of samples assigned to the high-titer group tended to increase with gestational age. The high-titer rate and geometric mean titers decreased with increased maternal age. CONCLUSIONS: Cord blood indicates that neonates born at a lower gestational age and older mothers have a low NAT against PeV-A3. Thus, more attention should be paid to the onset of severe PeV-A3 disease in such neonates and young infants.
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Shimizu et al. (2019) conducted a cross-sectional in Parechovirus A3 (PeV-A3) (n=1,033). Perinatal factors (gestational age and maternal age) was evaluated on Neutralizing antibody titer (NAT) against PeV-A3. Lower gestational age and older maternal age were associated with lower neutralizing antibody titers against Parechovirus A3 in cord blood, with approximately 70% of samples having low titers (≤ 1:16).
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