An electrophoretic study of maternal, fetal, and infant sera

Serum albumin and gamma-globulin increase rapidly during the development of the human fetus, whereas the alpha- and beta-globulins remain at a low level. The alpha- and beta- globulins rise appreciably and albumin decreases in maternal sera during pregnancy. The high gamma-globulin in newborn infants decreases markedly during the first month or two of life, whereas all of the other serum components rise. The view that the ingestion of colostrum maintains or raises the antibody level of infants is not supported by our findings.