RELATIONSHIPS BETWEEN HUMORAL-FACTORS IN HTV-1-INFECTED MOTHERS AND THE OCCURRENCE OF HIV-INFECTION IN THEIR INFANTS

Based on what is known about the biology of HIV-1 vertical transmissio n, the HIV burden of the mother, maternal immune factors and the integ rity of the placental barrier are likely to play major roles. We there fore sought to determine whether the presence of antibodies in sera fr om 47 HIV-1-infected mothers, including 30 non-transmitting and 17 tra nsmitting mothers, affected the risk of HIV-1 transmission to infants. Our findings showed no significant correlation between the capacity o f antibodies to mediate antibody-dependent cell-mediated cytotoxicity (ADCC) and their capacity to induce protection of the child from HIV-1 infection (P = 0.14). Furthermore, no correlation was found between t he capacity of maternal antibodies to neutralize in vitro lymphocyte o r macrophage heterologous viral infection and the occurrence of in vir o HIV-1 infection in the infant. Sera recovered from five of 12 transm itting mothers and from five of 11 non-transmitting mothers were compa red in their capacity to neutralize the viruses drawn from the same in dividuals. Four out of five maternal isolates from transmitting mother s and all maternal isolates from non-transmitting mothers were sensiti ve to enhancement of infection mediated by the maternal serum.