It has long been established that a mother’s antibodies provide some protection against infection for an infant in early stages of life before a full round of vaccines can be given. Now new research led by scientists at Cincinnati Children’s also finds that a mother’s antibodies can give protection from serious bacterial infections.
The study, published in Nature, finds that a mother’s exposure to common, everyday microbes helps her build protective antibodies that are naturally transferred to babies in the womb, safeguarding them against E. coli during their earliest days, when their own immune systems are still developing.
On Cincinnati Edition we discuss the research and the larger implications.
Guest:
- Sing Sing Way, MD, PhD, chair, Cincinnati Children’s Division of Infectious Diseases
Beginning at noon, call 513-419-7100 or email talk@wvxu.org to have your voice heard on this topic. You can catch a recorded replay at 8 p.m.