[Vertical transmission of immunity against B. pertussis]

Carrying out serological exams either from the blood of the woman in labor or from the umbilical cord at the moment of the birth, the AA. evaluate the rate of specific anti-pertussis antibodies which are transferred from the mother to the foetus through the placenta. The discovered rates are not quantitatively such to represent a protection from the infection. Certainly, through the breast feeding the newborn receives a further contribution in specific antibodies, but it is also true that the two mechanisms do not always produce additive results. Further, it is to be considered that this kind of protection has only a limited duration. The AA, conclude by hoping that in the near future there will be more efficacious vaccines free from the risk of serious complications, that today can be estimated at values of 1:300.000.