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Updated: Jul 14, 2026

Intranasal Immunization and Milk Collection in Studies of Maternal Immunization in New Zealand White Rabbits (Oryctolagus cuniculus)
Published on: July 31, 2021
Protection of newborn animals through maternal immunization
J J Pravieux1, H Poulet, C Charreyre
1Merial, 13 rue Albert Einstein, 69100 Villeurbanne, France.
Abstract:
Providing protective immunity to neonatal animals in early life is associated with numerous challenges regarding vaccine safety and efficacy. A much simpler approach is maternal vaccination, either before or during pregnancy, to provide the neonate with passively transferred immunity. In humans, the medical, societal and legal risks of immunizing pregnant women are important considerations in undertaking this approach. By contrast, maternal vaccination has been successfully employed in the animal health industry for decades. These veterinary vaccines have proven to be safe and efficient. Although only passively transferred antibodies have been extensively studied, other immunological mechanisms may be equally important in providing maternally derived immunity.
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