Congenital infection-associated genetic polymorphisms in children

Ministry of Health of Russia, Moscow, Russia Objective. To investigate the features of the genetic polymorphisms that determine the implementation and characteristics of the course of congenital infections in newborn infants, by taking into account their gestational age. Subjects and methods. The investigation enrolled 379 newborn infants with respiratory disorders of different origin, which required respiratory therapy. All the babies were born in the V.I. Kulakov National Medical Research Center of Obstetrics, Gynecology, and Perinatology, Ministry of Health of Russia, and treated at the Center’s Intensive Care Unit in January 2013 to December 2015. According to the infectious or non-infectious genesis of respiratory disorders, the infants enrolled in the investigation were divided into 2 study groups: 1) 161 babies with transient tachypnea of the newborn or respiratory distress syndrome; 2) 218 infants with intrauterine infection (congenital pneumonia or early neonatal sepsis). Based on their gestational age, the babies of the two study groups were divided into four subgroups: 1) 24-28 weeks; 2) 29-32 weeks; 3) 33-36 weeks; and 4) 37 or more weeks. Results. The investigators revealed statistically significant differences between the genetic polymorphisms in the neonates born at different gestation ages who had an infectious or non-infectious cause of respiratory disorders, according to the distribution of the following genotypes and alleles: NOS3-786, NO S3-894, and IL1b at 29-32 weeks’ gestation, AGTR2, IL4R1902, IL8, GNB825, and HTR2A at 33-36 weeks, and IL8, ADD1, and ADRB3 at 37 or more weeks. Conclusion. This investigation has shown that different genetic polymorphisms are associated with the development of infectious and inflammatory diseases in newborns at different gestational ages, which appears to reflect the process of maturation of the immune system. Not only the genes of innate immunity, but also the regulators of energy metabolism and vascular tone have been found to be involved in the development of infectious complications, which suggests that there is a complex mechanism for the development of neonatal septic conditions.

newborn infant, congenital pneumonia, early neonatal sepsis, respiratory distress syndrome, congenital infection, genetic polymorphisms, cytokines