[Transfer of measles immunoglobulins and antibodies from mother to child in Africa and Europe]

Abstract

In a series of 50 mother-child pairs from Paris the titers of measles antibodies in cord blood were 1.4 times higher that those measured in the mother's blood, but this ratio was only 0.92 in 116 African mother-child pairs from Libreville (Gabon). Similarly, the ratio of immunoglobulin G levels in cord blood to those of the mother's blood was higher in Paris (1.34) than in Libreville (0.88). This limitation in active transfer of total of specific immunoglobulins is due to their high levels usual in African mothers, and this is not without repercussions on the immune defence mechanisms of African newborns.