EARLY IMMUNIZATION AGAINST PERTUSSIS

Abstract

THEg cough in early life make effective immunization desirable. The following preliminary studies were designed to investigate the possibilities of protecting infants during the first six months of life against pertussis. We were also interested to learn more about the general mechanism of production of antibody by young infants. Sauer¹ reported studies in 1941 on the age factor and concluded that immunization should be undertaken after the seventh month because of the degree of failure to protect the infant prior to the third month as opposed to the seventh month. He found that "although some infants at the age of 3 months possess the power to elaborate specific antibody... others seem to lack this power." Our studies based on the ability of the infant's serum to agglutinate live phase I organisms showed the same inability on the part of some infants to form specific antibody. Sako and his co-workers