Postnatal decline of maternally acquired viral antibodies of different specificities

The rates of decline (half-lives) of maternally acquired antibodies of two different specificities in a group of infants were found to be highly variable, ranging from 18 to 192 days for parainfluenza type 3 antibody (54 infants) and from 15 to 251 days for influenza A2 antibody (nine infants). For antibodies of both specificities approximately 75% of the half-lives were between 15 and 60 days. With parainfluenza type 3 antibody, and possibly with influenza A2 antibody, the half-lives were inversely proportional to the initial antibody titre of the babies' sera. This relationship could be described by a rectangular hyperbola. Babies with high antibody titres at birth lost this antibody rapidly whereas in babies with low initial titres antibody declined over a longer period.The half-lives of parainfluenza type 3 antibody and influenza A2 antibody were compared with that of rubella antibody in the same group of infants (previously published). Maternally acquired viral antibodies of different specificities did not necessarily decline at similar rates in any given child. In nine infants, maternally acquired antibodies of two different specificities (rubella and parainfluenza type 3) declined at significantly different rates in the same child. It is suggested that although the half-life of antibody of a given specificity is related to its concentration in the serum, it is independent of the level of serum antibodies of other specificities.