OBJECTIVE The objective was to study passively acquired influenza H1N1 pandemic (H1N1pdm) maternal antibody kinetics and its impact on subsequent influenza infection and vaccination in ferrets during an outbreak of the H1N1pdm. DESIGN AND MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES Infectivity of the H1N1pdm in the respiratory tract of ferrets was compared with the previous seasonal A/South Dakota/6/2007 (SD07, H1...

The inhibition of vaccination by maternal antibodies is a widely observed phenomenon in human and veterinary medicine. Maternal antibodies are known to suppress the B-cell response. This is similar to antibody feedback mechanism studies where passively transferred antibody inhibits the B-cell response against particulate antigens because of epitope masking. In the absence of experimental data a...

BACKGROUND Placental malaria (PM) and maternal infection with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) type 1 have been shown to affect infant morbidity and immune responses to Plasmodium falciparum. We studied the effects of PM and HIV infection on the antimalarial antibody responses and morbidity outcomes of infants throughout the first year of life. METHODS A total of 411 Kenyan infants who were...

This research aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of H5N1 Avian Influenza vaccination in different duck breeds and to assess the magnitude of maternal antibody titer transferred from the vaccinated hen to the eggs and off ducklings as a protector agent against H5N1. Experimental research was conducted on 16 male and 48 female mallards and 16 male and 48 female Muscovy ducks aged 16 week old. Th...

1. Pigs are likely to be the main amplifying host for Japanese encephalitis virus. 2. The success of a swine vaccination programme depends on the timing of the loss of maternal antibody protection and seasonal dynamics of the vector population. 3. Vaccination may be ineffective in the face of strong natural infection because of the variability in timing of the loss of maternal antibody protecti...

Maternal investment in offspring immunity via egg quality may be an adaptive evolutionary strategy shaped by natural selection. We investigated how maternal investment in eggs can influence offspring immunity by conducting two experiments. First, we manipulated foraging performance of the mothers before egg laying by attaching a small weight to their back feathers. During the nestling period, w...

Four categories of natural resistance phenomena against Mareks disease in chickens, i.e., maternal antibody, age resistance, genetic resistance, and natural immunization, are described. In nature, these forms of resistance probably act in concert through comlex interrelationships. The mechanisms are not well understood but include humoral immunity (maternal antibody), cell-mediated immunity, an...

To examine the influence of a pertussis booster vaccination on the transfer of maternal antibodies, 24 nonpregnant women received a tetanus, diphtheria, acellular pertussis booster vaccine between 2 consecutive pregnancies. Blood was drawn from mothers and off-spring. Efficient transplacental antibody transfer and significantly higher antibody titers against 3 pertussis antigens were observed i...

Background: Preeclampsia (PE) is a pregnancy specific syndrome that is associated with high maternal and fetal morbidity and mortality. Glucose regulated protein78 (GRP78) is an Endoplasmic Reticulum (ER) protein which is expressed on the cell surfaces of trophoblast cells under stress or hypoxic condition. GRP78 has a role in aggressive behavior of invasive cells and may play a role in normal ...