Abstract
IMMUNOLOGISTS have long been fascinated with the apparent immunologic incompetence of the mammalian neonate. At the turn of the century comparisons of various antibody titers in the blood of the mother and her offspring led Ehrlich and others to the firm conviction that the newborn mammal was dependent on a dowry of maternal antibodies for protection against the microbial insults of the extrauterine environment. Yet subsequent comparisons of human maternal and cord serum for their antibody content against a wide variety of antigens yielded a seemingly senseless patchwork of results. It became evident that certain antibodies such as those against viruses, Gram positive pathogens, bacterial toxins, and so-called blocking antibodies induced by the injection of allergens were efficiently transferred to the fetus, whereas atopic reagins and antibodies to the Gram negative enteric commensals and pathogens, the blood group substances, and the Wassermann and heterophile antigens were in the main barred from the fetal circulation.
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