Immunology and organ transplantation in the neonate and young infant

Cardiac replacement in neonates and infants with incurable complex heart defects has been performed successfully at the Loma Linda University Medical Center since 1985. Studies of over 125 infant transplants have revealed unique characteristics of the newborn response to foreign tissue. As compared to that of older infants, the neonatal immune system is remarkedly receptive, a phenomenon highlighting the impact of maternal-fetal incompatibility on subsequent neonatal immune development.