Institute for Medical Virology and Epidemiology of Viral Diseases, University Hospital Tuebingen, 72076 Tuebingen, Germany.
Department of Neonatology, University Children's Hospital Tuebingen, 72076 Tuebingen, Germany.
Nutrients. 2020 Jan 28;12(2):338. doi: 10.3390/nu12020338.
Human cytomegalovirus (HCMV) is shed into breast milk in nearly every seropositive woman during lactation. This reactivation shows mostly a self-limited, unimodal course. The dynamics and functional role of HCMV-specific-IgG in breast milk and in plasma during reactivation are unknown. Milk whey viral loads were monitored with real-time PCR in 18 HCMV-seropositive mothers over two months postpartum. HCMV-antibody binding assays (ECLIA) and antigen-specific immunoblotting were performed from plasma and corresponding milk samples. Epithelial-cell-specific neutralization was used to analyze functional antibodies in plasma- and whey-pools. Viral loads in milk whey showed unimodal courses in 15 of 18 mothers with peak viral loads around one month postpartum. HCMV-specific-IgG-antibodies increased significantly in plasma and milk whey during reactivation. The mean levels of plasma IgG were about 275-fold higher than in whey. Only antibodies against tegument protein p150 were continuously expressed in both compartments. Anti-glycoprotein-B1 IgG-antibodies were variably expressed in whey, but continuously in plasma. Neutralization assays showed 40-fold higher NT-50 values in plasma compared to whey at two months postpartum. During reactivation, HCMV-specific-IgG reactivities and neutralizing capacities are much lower in whey than in plasma. Therefore, their specific role in the decrease and discontinuation of virus-shedding in milk remains unclear.
人巨细胞病毒（HCMV）在哺乳期几乎每个血清阳性的女性的母乳中都有脱落。这种再激活表现为自限性、单峰过程。HCMV 特异性-IgG 在再激活期间在母乳和血浆中的动态和功能作用尚不清楚。在产后两个月内，通过实时 PCR 监测 18 名 HCMV 血清阳性母亲的乳清病毒载量。使用 ELISA 法和抗原特异性免疫印迹法从血浆和相应的乳汁样本中进行 HCMV 抗体结合分析。使用上皮细胞特异性中和试验分析血浆和乳清池中的功能性抗体。在 18 名母亲中的 15 名中，乳清中的病毒载量呈单峰模式，峰值出现在产后约一个月。在再激活期间，HCMV 特异性-IgG 抗体在血浆和乳清中显著增加。血浆 IgG 的平均水平比乳清高约 275 倍。只有针对包膜蛋白 p150 的抗体在两个隔室中连续表达。抗糖蛋白-B1 IgG 抗体在乳清中可变表达，但在血浆中连续表达。中和试验显示，产后两个月时，血浆中的 NT-50 值比乳清高 40 倍。在再激活期间，乳清中的 HCMV 特异性-IgG 反应性和中和能力比血浆低得多。因此，它们在降低和停止乳汁中病毒脱落方面的具体作用仍不清楚。
