Immunity to Poliomyelitis in Mothers and the Newborn as Shown by the Neutralization Test

Abstract

Evidence has been presented elsewhere relating to the age distribution of poliomyelitis which indicates that immunity to the disease is widespread, bearing a direct relationship to age and concentration of population and an inverse relationship to the incidence of the disease in all age groups.t I t was inferred from this study that the virus of the disease has a similar widespread distribution (1). Neutralization tests on a series of individuals not giving a history of poliomyelitis were reported in a later communication (2). In an urban population im-

An Attempt to Increase Resistance to Pertussis in Newborn Infants by Immunizing Their Mothers During Pregnancy 1

“…Certain evidence from hospital case records suggests that this phagocytic capacity may be regarded as a measure of resistance to pertussis. 3. Neither the previous disease nor artificial immunization with a pertussis vaccine during pregnancy exerted any significant influence on the opsono-cytophagic reaction of the mother's blood for H. pertussis.…”

“…(2) How long during early infancy will it remain unchanged? (3) Is there any correlation between this capacity and resistance to pertussis? In answer to the first question Bradford and Slavin (10), Kendrick et al.…”

“…Numerous investigators have shown by experimental work, in human beings as well as in animals, that this immunity coincides with the presence of specific antibodies which have been passively transferred from the mother to the offspring. No attempt is made to give a complete review of this subject for it is surveyed in the publications of Ratner et al (2) and Aycock and Kramer (3). In man, the transfer of antibody probably occurs chiefly by way of the placenta.…”

The Neutralization Test in Poliomyelitis

“…All of the monkeys which were infected during the course of the neutralization experiments were extensively paralyzed. (4,6,7,8,11,12,14,15,19) referred to in an earlier section of this paper. The number of monkey passages to which it has been subFro.…”

“…The per cent of normal, convalescent, and exposed individuals whose sera neutralized passage strains of poliomyelitis virus, arranged according to age groups. Data included in this figure have been obtained from reports (2)(3)(4)(5)(6)(7)(8)(9)(10)(11)(12)(13)(14)(15)(16)(17)(18)(19)(20). In several of them (see B~liography) the published data have been supplemented by a personal letter from one of the authors in which the ages of the individuals tested and other details, not appearing in the text, have been kindly supplied.…”