title: Acquisition of maternal antibodies both from the placenta and by lactation protects mouse offspring from Yersinia pestis challenge.
abstract: Artificially passive immunization has been demonstrated to be effective against Yersinia pestis infection in animals. However, maternal antibodies' protective efficacy against plague has not yet been demonstrated. Here, we evaluated the kinetics, protective efficacy, and transmission modes of maternal antibodies, using mice immunized with plague subunit vaccine SV1 (20 μg of F1 and 10 μg of rV270). The results showed that the rV270- and F1-specific antibodies could be detected in the sera of newborn mice (NM) until 10 and 14 weeks of age, respectively. There was no antibody titer difference between the parturient mice immunized with SV1 (PM-S) and the caesarean-section newborns (CSN) from the PM-S or between the lactating mice immunized by SV1 (LM-S) and the cross-fostered mice (CFM) during 3 weeks of lactation. The NM had a 72% protection against 4,800 CFU Y. pestis strain 141 challenge at 6 weeks of age, whereas at 14 weeks of age, NM all succumbed to 5,700 CFU of Y. pestis challenge. After 7 weeks of age, CFM had an 84% protection against 5,000 CFU of Y. pestis challenge. These results indicated that maternal antibodies induced by the plague subunit vaccine in mother mice can be transferred to NM by both placenta and lactation. Passive antibodies from the immunized mothers could persist for 3 months and provide early protection for NM. The degree of early protection is dependent on levels of the passively acquired antibody. The results indicate that passive immunization should be an effective countermeasure against plague during its epidemics.
authors.affiliation: Qinghai Institute for Endemic Disease Prevention and Control of Qinghai Province, Xining, China.
authors.forename: Zhizhen
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Qi
authors.forename: Haihong
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Zhao
authors.forename: Qingwen
authors.initials: Q
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.forename: Yujing
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Bi
authors.forename: Lingling
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Ren
authors.forename: Xuecan
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.forename: Hanqing
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Yang
authors.forename: Xiaoyan
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Yang
authors.forename: Qiong
authors.initials: Q
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.forename: Cunxiang
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Li
authors.forename: Jiyuan
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Zhou
authors.forename: Youquan
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Xin
authors.forename: Yonghai
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Yang
authors.forename: Huiying
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Yang
authors.forename: Zongmin
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Du
authors.forename: Yafang
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Tan
authors.forename: Yanping
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Han
authors.forename: Yajun
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Song
authors.forename: Lei
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Zhou
authors.forename: Pingping
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.forename: Yujun
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Cui
authors.forename: Yanfeng
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Yan
authors.forename: Dongsheng
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Zhou
authors.forename: Ruifu
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Yang
authors.forename: Xiaoyi
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Wang
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000831:Animals, Newborn; D000907:Antibodies, Bacterial / Q000097:blood*; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007112:Immunity, Maternally-Acquired; D007774:Lactation / Q000276:immunology; D008297:Male; D051379:Mice; D008807:Mice, Inbred BALB C; D010920:Placenta / Q000276:immunology; D010930:Plague / Q000276:immunology / Q000517:prevention & control*; D010931:Plague Vaccine / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000276:immunology*; D011247:Pregnancy; D016019:Survival Analysis; D013997:Time Factors; D015010:Yersinia pestis / Q000276:immunology*
chemical_list: D000907:Antibodies, Bacterial; D010931:Plague Vaccine