IMMUNITY TO POLIOMYELITIS IN MOTHERS AND THE NEWBORN AS SHOWN BY THE NEUTRALIZATION TEST

Neutralization tests for the virus of poliomyelitis on blood serum of urban mothers and their newborn infants showed that immunity was present in ten out of twelve (83 per cent) infants and in ten out of twelve (83 per cent) mothers, with a complete correspondence between mother and infant. These tests point to passive transmission of immunity from mother to infant. Previous tests on other children (1 to 5 years) indicate that immunity in infants is transitory. Previous observations concerning the extent of immunity in urban adults are confirmed and extended. The results of these tests are in accord with the age distribution of poliomyelitis and parallel corresponding observations in diphtheria.