Long-lasting immunity by early infection of maternal-antibody-protected infants.
Newborn higher vertebrates are largely immuno-incompetent and generally survive infections--including poxviruses--by maternal antibody protection. Here, we show that mice survived epidemics as adults only if exposed to lethal orthopoxvirus infections during infancy under the umbrella of maternal protective antibodies. This implies that both the absence of exposure to infection during early infancy or of effective vaccination renders the population highly susceptible to new or old re-emerging pathogens.
Navarini
Alexander A
AA
Institute for Experimental Immunology, University Hospital Zürich, Zürich, Switzerland. alexander.navarini@usz.ch
Krzyzowska
Malgorzata
M
Lang
Karl S
KS
Horvath
Edit
E
Hengartner
Hans
H
Niemialtowski
Marek G
MG
Zinkernagel
Rolf M
RM
D000818:Animals; D000831:Animals, Newborn; D000914:Antibodies, Viral / Q000276:immunology*; D004482:Ectromelia, Infectious / Q000276:immunology*; D005260:Female; D007112:Immunity, Maternally-Acquired; D008297:Male; D051379:Mice; D008810:Mice, Inbred C57BL; D015996:Survival Rate
D000914:Antibodies, Viral