Virology & Mycology
Open Access

Pregnancy and severity of infection with pandemic influenza A(H1N1)pdm09 virus

2^nd International Conference on Flu

October 31-November 02, 2016 San Francisco, USA

Natalia Periolo

INEI-ANLIS Carlos G. Malbran, Argentina

Scientific Tracks Abstracts: Virol Mycol

Abstract :

Pregnant women are at increased risk for severe illness from influenza virus infection. Immunological and hormonal alterations place women at increased risk for influenza-related severe illnesses including hospitalization and death. Although A(H1N1)pdm09 infection resulted in increased disease severity in pregnant women, the precise mechanisms responsible for this risk have yet to be established. During the 2009 H1N1 influenza A pandemic, pregnant women were generally at increased risk for severe disease, including disease leading to hospitalization, admission to an intensive care unit or death, as compared with non-pregnant women and the general population. In Argentina, it was estimated that the mortality rate per 100,000 person-years (py) ranged from 1.5 among persons aged 5-44 years to 5.6 among persons aged â�?¥65 years. An analysis of 332 case fatalities infected with A(H1N1)pdm09 virus showed that 20 (6%) were among pregnant or postpartum women of who monthly 47% had been diagnosed with comorbid disorders. Studies have demonstrated that the over-production of specific inflammatory cytokines, such as the tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-, interleukin (IL), IL-6 and IL-10, as well as the polymorphonuclear neutrophil CC chemokine- IL-8, is the hallmark of viral infection. In an attempt to elucidate the innate immune response to A(H1N1)pdm09 infection and to gain further insight into cytokine-mediated pathogenesis, we retrospectively evaluated the expression levels of a panel of cytokines, chemokines and viral replication in different groups of pregnant women according to the severity of the infection.

Biography :

Natalia Periolo has completed her PhD from Quilmes University, Buenos Aires, Argentina. She has completed International Postdoctoral Fellowship from the Department of Immunology, The Wenner-Gren Institute, Stockholm University, Sweden. She is a Researcher of The National Scientific and Technical Research Council (CONICET) and currently working at the Institute INEI-ANLIS “Carlos G. Malbran”, Argentina. She has published more than 10 papers in reputed journals.

Email: natalaperiolo@hotmail.com