Systemic immune response to Trichomonas vaginalis infection during pregnancy.

OBJECTIVE

The objective of this study was to characterize the systemic immune response in women with trichomoniasis in pregnancy as compared with uninfected women.

STUDY

DESIGN

A nested case control study was performed on 195 serum samples. Serum concentrations of cytokines, chemokines, and C-reactive protein (CRP) were compared between infected and uninfected women. Cytokines and chemokines were measured using a multiplex bead assay. The CRP concentrations were determined using a standard enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay method.

RESULTS

The median serum concentration of granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor (GM-CSF) was significantly higher in the trichomonas-infected group compared with the uninfected group (8.9 pg/mL vs. 5.7 pg/mL; P <0.001). The mean log-transformed CRP values were higher in the infected group compared with the uninfected group (1.66 vs. 1.27; P = 0.03).

CONCLUSIONS

The results of this study suggest that trichomoniasis during pregnancy can lead to a systemic immune response in some women as exhibited by elevation in the serum concentrations of both GM-CSF and CRP.