Related Experiment Videos
Bordetella pertussis FHA antibodies in maternal/infants sera and colostrum
M F Helmy1, M Hammam, M S el Kholy
1Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Ain Shams University.
Insights
Maternal antibodies offer limited passive immunity to newborns against pertussis (whooping cough). Reimmunizing pregnant women with updated vaccines may enhance infant protection against this respiratory illness.
Area of Science:
- Immunology
- Pediatrics
- Microbiology
Background:
- Pertussis (whooping cough) remains a significant threat to infants, with high susceptibility despite widespread vaccination.
- Filamentous hemagglutinin (FHA) antibodies play a crucial role in blocking Bordetella pertussis adherence to respiratory cells.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the immunoresponse to Bordetella pertussis, specifically focusing on FHA antibodies.
- To assess the levels of IgG and IgA antibodies to B. pertussis FHA in maternal sera, infant sera, and colostrum.
Main Methods:
- Analysis of maternal sera (n=143) and infant sera (n=25) for IgG and IgA antibodies against B. pertussis FHA.
- Evaluation of colostrum samples for IgA positivity and its correlation with maternal serum IgA levels.
- Assessment of passive immunity transfer via placental IgG and detection rates in colostrum.
Main Results:
- Younger females (15-25 years) exhibited higher percentages of serum IgG and IgA.
- Maternal serum IgA positivity strongly correlated with IgA detection in colostrum.
- Newborns demonstrated low passive immunity, with only 35.7% IgG placental transfer and 41% IgA detection in colostrum.
Conclusions:
- Maternal serum IgA can serve as a marker for colostral IgA presence.
- Newborns possess limited passive immunity against pertussis.
- Reimmunizing pregnant women with inadequate B. pertussis antibodies could improve infant passive immunity.
Abstract:
The high incidence of pertussis in the first year of life confirms that susceptibility remains high for children in this age group despite > 90% pertussis vaccine compliance. In this respect, immunoresponse to Bordetella pertussis was investigated. Filamentous hemagglutinin (FHA) antibodies were studied due to their important protective role, in blocking the adherence of the bacteria to respiratory tract ciliated cells. The relative rate of detection and degree of positivity of IgG and IgA antibodies to Bordetella pertussis FHA were studied in maternal and infant sera and in colostrum samples of the respective mothers. The study comprised 143 mothers of child bearing age and 25 newborns. The highest percentages of serum IgG and IgA were present in the younger females group (15-25 yrs). Both IgG and IgA were detected in the same mother in 60% of them. The study showed that 96.9% of colostrum samples who were positive for IgA, were associated with IgA positivity in serum, also an increase in the degree of serum IgA positivity was associated with a higher rate of detection of IgA in colostrum. Maternal serum IgA could therefore be used as a marker for the future presence of IgA in colostrum. This work demonstrated that newborns show little passive immunity to pertussis, evidenced by the low placental transfer of IgG (35.7%) and the low rate of detection of IgA in the colostrum (41%). We concluded that, it would be advantageous to reimmunize pregnant women, without adequate serum antibody to Bordetella pertussis, with appropriate new vaccine which would offer a better passive immunity to their infants.