Maternal Antibodies Protect Newborns From Severe E. Coli Infections, Study Finds

Maternal antibodies protect newborns from severe E. coli infections, study finds

A multi-center study led by researchers at Cincinnati Children's sheds surprising new light on why some newborns become severely ill from Escherichia coli infection, but others do not.

Mothers' exposure to microbes protects their newborn babies against infection

A multi-center study led by researchers at Cincinnati Children's sheds new light on why some newborns become severely ill from Escherichia coli infection, but others do not. It turns out that most babies are immune because of germ-fighting antibodies they receive from their moms.

Natural maternal immunity protects neonates from Escherichia coli sepsis

Escherichia coli is a leading cause of neonatal sepsis, with infection occurring in approximately one in every 1,000 live births1,2. However, with E. coli colonization beginning soon after birth3–5 and defects in neonatal host defence maturation6–9, an alternative consideration is why infection does not occur even more frequently. Here we show that newborn babies with E. coli sepsis have selectively reduced vertically transferred natural antibod…

Key discovery to prevent sepsis in newborn babies