While they may look defenseless and need a lot of attention, babies’ immune systems are a lot stronger than we once thought says a new study.
Researchers have found that infants possess immune T-cells that may carry the ability to trigger an inflammatory response to bacteria.
T-cells are part of the body’s immune system defense when it is infected with viruses and bacteria.
"We found that babies have an in-built anti-bacterial defense mechanism that works differently to adults, but nevertheless may be effective in protecting them. This may also be a mechanism by which the baby protects itself in the womb from infections of the mother. The next stage of our work will be to better understand the pathways that result in the immune cells of newborns being so different to those in adults," said lead study author Dr. Deena Gibbons in the Department of Immunobiology at King's College London, in a news release.
Adults and newborns have very different T-cells. Previous studies suggested that the T-cell difference was due to their immunosuppression. It was generally thought that a newborn’s T-cells were suppressed to prevent inflammatory damage to a developing baby.
The new research says the difference is actually because of a potent anti-bacterial molecule known as IL8 that has not previously been considered a major product of T cells.
The hope with this discovery is that scientists will be able to find ways that this T-cell activity can benefit neonatal babies by boosting their immune systems while they are being cared for in intensive care units (ICU). Infection is a major risk in ICUs and can impact the survival of these tiny patients
This research is also a great advancement for the health of premature babies who can develop inflammatory diseases such as Necrotising Enterocolitis (NEC), which destroys tissues in the gut.
The study was published in the journal Nature Medicine.
Source: http://www.motherandbaby.com.au/baby/new-borns/2014/9/impressive-newborn-immunity/
