IMMUNE FUNCTION IN OFFSPRING OF NONHUMAN-PRIMATES (MACACA-NEMESTRINA)EXPOSED WEEKLY TO 1.8 G KG ETHANOL DURING PREGNANCY - PRELIMINARY-OBSERVATIONS/

A Preliminary investigation of immune host response was conducted in a group of fetal alcohol-exposed nonhuman primates (Macaca nemestrina) who were part of a broader ongoing study of ethanol teratogenicity. Th e mothers of the offspring received weekly oral doses of ethanol (1.8 g/kg) for the first 3 or 6 or the entire 24 weeks of gestation. A cont rol group received sucrose solution weekly throughout pregnancy. Four of the 18 ethanol-exposed animals (22%) died or were euthanized after infectious disease or failure to thrive during the first year of life; none of the seven control animals died. This imbalance in survival pr ompted the present review of immune function in the remaining offsprin g. Parameters assessed included: (1) white blood cell count (WBC), (2) peripheral blood leucocyte subsets (CD4+, CD8+, CD20+, and CD11c+), ( 3) T-cell proliferation after activation with phytohemagglutinin (PHA) , staphylococcus enterotoxin B (SEB), and tetanus toxoid (TT), (4) pha gocytic activity of monocytes, and (5) serum immunoglobulin levels and serum antibody titers after TT vaccination. Mean T-cell proliferation to TT was significantly decreased (p = 0.01) in all ethanol-exposed a nimals relative to controls, with near-significant decreases (p = 0.06 ) in response to SEB in the ethanol-exposed animals. Lymphocyte prolif eration in response to PHA was not altered. Ethanol-exposed animals ha d significantly lower TT titers than controls after initial vaccinatio n and booster. WBC, leukocyte subsets, serum immunoglobulins, and mono cyte phagocytic activity were not significantly different from control values. These preliminary observations suggest that T-cell proliferat ion and antigen-specific memory responses may be altered in offspring exposed to weekly doses of ethanol in utero and warrant further evalua tion for confirmation.