TIMING OF DIFFERENT VIRUS NEUTRALIZING 19S AND 7S ANTIBODIES IN NATURAL COXSACKIE INFECTIONS OF NEWBORN BABIES AND ADULTS.

The article reports that neutralizing Coxsackie antibodies arising from natural infections with Coxsackie virus type B3 or B5 were studied in adults and newborn babies. The question whether in man the immune response of newborn babies to new antigenic stimuli is essentially different from that of adults has been approached by immunization with various antigens. The results are contradictory. There are two difficulties inherent in these studies, passively transferred maternal antibody, if present, weakens the response of newborn babies, and while a true primary response is likely in newborn babies, adults may have been in contact with the test antigen earlier, unknown to the experimenter, and give a secondary response.