Antitetanus immunity in mother-child pairs

A study on tetanus toxoid immunity in mothers and their children by passive hemagglutination using "Vacci T Pasteur" was conducted in two stages: an initial study of 100 mothers and their newborns was conducted with no particular selection criteria used. Tetanus toxoid titers were measured on serum directly for the mothers and on whole blood using filter paper for the children; a second study of 100 mothers and children was conducted using defined criteria for enrollment. Blood was drawn directly from the veins of both the mother and child in this study. Titers were measured for both mother and child on serum. In both studies it was verified that the pregnant women has good vaccination coverage. However, the study of immunity levels among the newborns showed different results in the two studies. The authors discuss the reasons for these differences and formulate recommendations for an use of these tests during sero-epidemiologic studies in tropical climates.