EFFICACY OF THE PLACENTAL BARRIER FOR IMMUNOGLOBULINS - CORRELATIONS BETWEEN MATERNAL, PATERNAL AND FETAL IMMUNOGLOBULIN LEVELS

The relationship of immunoglobulin levels in fetal and parental blood for those classes showing a high degree of placental impermeability wa s investigated in 430 mothers, their newborn infants (cord blood) and their husbands. Levels of IgA, IgD and IgM in maternal serum were unre lated to the sex of the offspring. IgE levels were significantly highe r in mothers of male infants than in mothers of female infants (53 ver sus 40 IU/ml, p<0.02). Significant correlations between maternal-fetal (r=0.37; p<0.01), paternal-fetal (r=0.12; p<0.02) and maternal-patern al IgE levels were found (r=0.17; p<0.02). For the levels of other imm unoglobulins studied, the maternal-fetal correlations were not signifi cant. The results support the effectiveness of the placental barrier f or IgA, IgD, IgE and IgM. The significant correlation between IgE leve ls in mothers-newborns, fathers-newborns and mothers-fathers may be ex plained by the influence of the home milieu on the entire family, incl uding the fetus.