Reduced Interferon γ Production and Soluble CD14 Levels in Early Life Predict Recurrent Wheezing by 1 Year of Age

It is unknown whether reduced production of IFNγ in early life, before any lower respiratory tract illness, is a risk factor for recurrent wheezing in infancy. We followed 238 infants prospectively from birth to 1 year of age. At birth and at 3 months of age, IFNγ production from polyclonally stimulated peripheral blood mononuclear cells and soluble CD14 (sCD14) levels in plasma were measured. The odds of developing recurrent wheezing (assessed by questionnaire) in the first year of life were up to 4.5 times higher for children in the lowest quartile of IFNγ production at 3 months (p = 0.0005) and 3.2 times higher for children in the lowest quartile of sCD14 levels at birth (p = 0.004) as compared with children in the other 3 combined quartiles of IFNγ and sCD14, respectively. Findings were confirmed in the multivariate analysis. IFNγ production at 3 months and sCD14 levels at birth were correlated (r = 0.188, p = 0.031). Our findings from a longitudinal cohort suggest that Impaired IFNγ production at 3 months and reduced plasma-sCD14 levels at birth significantly increase the risk of developing recurrent wheezing in the first year of life.