1. Age-dependent presence of antibodies in rat dams, capable of conferring protection against group B Streptococcus infection in neonates.
- Author
-
Moore JC, Muckett PJ, and Hughes MJ
- Subjects
- Aging blood, Animals, Animals, Newborn blood, Antibodies, Bacterial blood, Cross Reactions immunology, Disease Models, Animal, Disease Susceptibility blood, Disease Susceptibility immunology, Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay, Female, Fetal Blood immunology, Immunoglobulin G blood, Immunoglobulin G immunology, Pregnancy, Rats, Streptococcal Infections blood, Streptococcal Infections mortality, Streptococcus agalactiae isolation & purification, Aging immunology, Animals, Newborn immunology, Antibodies, Bacterial immunology, Maternal Age, Streptococcal Infections immunology, Streptococcus agalactiae immunology
- Abstract
A rat model was used to investigate maternal age-dependent resistance on group B Streptococcus (GBS)-induced mortality of the offspring. Offspring from young (first time) or older (repeat litters) dams were challenged with GBS. There was an approximate log difference in the dose of GBS required to cause identical levels of mortality in the two groups. The sera of the dams from both groups were analysed by whole-cell ELISA, and it was demonstrated that sera from the older dams possessed circulating IgG cross-reactive to GBS. Since IgG is transplacentally transferred, we conclude that this is the method of observed protection.
- Published
- 2001
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