PROBLEM Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection is associated with an increased risk of adverse pregnancy outcomes, including preterm birth (PTB), despite viral suppression with antiretroviral therapy. Mucosal-associated invariant T (MAIT) cells are an immune cell subset involved in antimicrobial immunity at mucosal surfaces. MAIT cells have been found at the maternal-foetal interface, and MAIT cells are typically depleted early in HIV infection. We aimed to investigate changes in MAIT cells in relation to maternal HIV/ART status and PTB. METHOD OF STUDY We conducted flow cytometric analysis of peripheral blood samples from 47 HIV-positive (HIV+) and 45 HIV-negative (HIV-) pregnant women enrolled in a prospective pregnancy cohort study in Soweto, South Africa. Frequencies of Vα7.2+ CD161++ MAIT cells and proportions of CD4+ , CD8+ and double-negative MAIT cells were compared between women with and without HIV infection, and between women with and without PTB or spontaneous preterm labour (Sp-PTL). RESULTS Although overall MAIT cell frequencies were the same between HIV+ and HIV- patients, HIV+ patients had a higher proportion of CD8+ MAIT cells in the first two trimesters. Women with PTB and Sp-PTL also had a higher proportion of CD8+ MAIT cells in the first trimester compared to women without these outcomes. The association between changes in MAIT cell subsets and PTB/Sp-PTL was present in both HIV+ and HIV- women, and an additive effect on MAIT cell subsets was seen in women with both HIV infection and PTB. CONCLUSIONS Interactions between HIV-related and pregnancy-related changes in MAIT cell subsets and distribution may lead to imbalances in peripheral MAIT cell subsets in early pregnancy. This may contribute to the increased risk of PTB in HIV+ patients by altering the overall functionality of the peripheral MAIT cell compartment.

中文翻译：

---

妊娠早期 Vα7.2+ CD161++ MAIT 细胞区室的变化与 HIV 阳性妇女的早产有关。

问题 人类免疫缺陷病毒 (HIV) 感染与包括早产 (PTB) 在内的不良妊娠结局风险增加相关，尽管抗逆转录病毒治疗可抑制病毒。黏膜相关不变 T (MAIT) 细胞是参与黏膜表面抗菌免疫的免疫细胞亚群。MAIT 细胞已在母胎界面发现，MAIT 细胞通常在 HIV 感染早期耗尽。我们旨在调查 MAIT 细胞与母体 HIV/ART 状态和 PTB 相关的变化。研究方法 我们对南非索韦托一项前瞻性妊娠队列研究中纳入的 47 名 HIV 阳性 (HIV+) 和 45 名 HIV 阴性 (HIV-) 孕妇的外周血样本进行了流式细胞仪分析。Vα7.2+ CD161++ MAIT 细胞的频率和 CD4+ 的比例，CD8+ 和双阴性 MAIT 细胞在感染和不感染 HIV 的女性之间以及在有和没有 PTB 或自发性早产 (Sp-PTL) 的女性之间进行了比较。结果 尽管 HIV+ 和 HIV- 患者的总体 MAIT 细胞频率相同，但 HIV+ 患者在前两个三个月的 CD8+ MAIT 细胞比例较高。与没有这些结果的女性相比，患有 PTB 和 Sp-PTL 的女性在孕早期的 CD8+ MAIT 细胞比例也更高。MAIT 细胞亚群变化与 PTB/Sp-PTL 之间的关联在 HIV+ 和 HIV- 女性中都存在，并且在 HIV 感染和 PTB 的女性中观察到对 MAIT 细胞亚群的累加效应。结论 MAIT 细胞亚群和分布中 HIV 相关和妊娠相关变化之间的相互作用可能导致妊娠早期外周 MAIT 细胞亚群的失衡。这可能会通过改变外周 MAIT 细胞室的整体功能来增加 HIV+ 患者 PTB 的风险。