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Related Experiment Videos

On natural and artificial vaccinations.

Rolf M Zinkernagel1

  • 1Institute for Experimental Immunology, University Hospital, Zurich CH-8091, Switzerland. rolf.zinkernagel@pty.usz.ch

Annual Review of Immunology
|December 26, 2002
PubMed
Summary

Maternal antibodies from breast milk and serum act as natural vaccines, protecting infants from infections. If this passive immunity is insufficient, timely vaccination is crucial for preventing severe childhood diseases and potential long-term health issues.

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Long-lasting immunity by early infection of maternal-antibody-protected infants.

European journal of immunology·2009

Area of Science:

  • Immunology
  • Vaccinology
  • Pediatrics

Background:

  • Cell- and antibody-mediated immunity and immunological memory are fundamental to protective responses.
  • Maternal antibodies, acquired through milk and serum, provide crucial protection to infants during the first 1-4 years of life.
  • Changes in nursing habits and hygiene levels are altering human-infection dynamics and disease patterns.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To review immune protection mechanisms and immunological memory.
  • To evaluate vaccine efficacy concerning antigen's role in maintaining immunity.
  • To explore the concept of maternal antibodies as natural vaccines and their implications for infant health and disease patterns.

Main Methods:

  • Review of existing literature on cellular and antibody-mediated immunity.
  • Analysis of vaccine successes and challenges related to antigenicity.
  • Conceptual development based on the role of maternal antibodies in infant protection.

Main Results:

  • Maternal antibodies effectively attenuate common childhood infections, acting as a form of natural vaccination.
  • Insufficient "natural vaccination" can lead to severe acute childhood diseases if not counteracted by early active vaccination.
  • Lack of vaccines for milder infections and changing environmental factors may contribute to increased immunopathological and autoimmune diseases.

Conclusions:

  • Maternal antibodies are critical for infant immune protection, functioning as natural vaccines.
  • Synchronizing conventional vaccination with infant immune system maturation is vital.
  • Altered human-environment interactions, including hygiene and nursing practices, may influence disease prevalence and contribute to autoimmune and degenerative conditions.

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