Cytomegalovirus specific cell-mediated immunity status in women with preeclampsia: A case-control study

Preeclampsia, a pregnancy‑specific complication, has been associated with cytomegalovirus (CMV) infection in observational studies. CMV‑specific T cell response plays a major role in viremia clearance. We explored whether CMV‑specific cell‑mediated immunity (CMI) status is associated with preeclampsia in pregnant women.

CMV‑specific CMI was assessed using CMV‑QuantiFERON (QF‑CMV) assay in plasma serum of 35 women with preeclampsia as well as 35 normal pregnant controls, retrospectively. Participants were matched for gestational age in a 1:1 ratio. The proportion of reactive results, the mean value of interferon‑gamma (IFN‑γ) level produced in mitogen and antigen tubes were compared between the cases and controls through Chi‑square and Wilcoxon rank‑sum tests, respectively. The odds ratio and confidence interval were calculated as well.

No significant differences observed between demographic characteristics of the case and control groups. The QF‑CMV assay turned reactive (QF‑CMV [ + ]) Women with preeclampsia had lower mean IFN‑γ levels in antigen tube compared with normal pregnant controls. There were no statistically significant differences in the value of mitogen tube between case and controls women with suppressed CMV‑CMI were 6.3 times more likely to have preeclampsia. This result even strengthened after adjustment for age, gestational age, and gravidity.

Our findings support an association between suppressed CMV‑specific CMI and preeclampsia