Immune system development newborns

Newborns are especially vulnerable to pesticides effects, since they do not have a fully developed immune system and adaptation mechanisms, or detoxification systems for foreign chemicals. A direct correlation between overall pesticide exposure in a given territory and primary illness in newborns [A101] was traced into even those territories of the Ukraine where the volumes of pesticides used were not extreme. The clearest expression of the pesticide exposure - primary newborn illness correlation is seen with pesticides of the second risk class (by toxicity), while the correlation is less clear for pesticides of the third and fourth categories. The most dangerous pesticides of all types for newborns are OCPs, with OPPs a close second [A101]. 

Reproductive toxicity to 2,3,7,8-TCDD has been demonstrated in animals. "" The effects include pre- and postimplantation losses in females, morphologic and functional changes in male and female reproductive organs, and hormonal imbalance in both sexes. A number of developmental effects have been observed in animals acutely exposed to 2,3,7,8-TCDD by the oral route. Effects observed in offspring of animals include cleft palate, kidney anomalies, immune system damage (thymic atrophy and immunosuppression), impaired development of the reproductive system, decreased growth, and fetal/newborn mortality. 

Preventative vaccines are increasingly used during pregnancy, with the intention of protecting the newborn baby from infectious disease, such as influenza, via conferred immunity from the mother (1). To date, no causal relationships have been demonstrated for adverse effects on pregnancy with any approved vaccine. However, potential mechanisms have been suggested by which an induced immune response could interfere with prenatal development. A nonspecific disturbance of the resting balance between the innate and humoral activities of the immune system, for instance, could result in abortion (2). Otherwise, the induced antibodies may have the potential to disturb normal development due to a specific... 

Babies born to women who are seropositive (AB+) are often infected too, through the placental exchange of blood. Such babies are highly likely to move into the full AIDS syndrome in the first year because the immune system in the newborn is not fully developed. 

Since the immune system of the newborn baby is not well developed, it is essential that it receive colostrum from its mother as soon as possible. Through this intake of colostrum, antibodies are passed from the mother to the newborn, imparting a certain degree of immunity to stress and disease which will last for the first critical daysofthe life of the young. Many of these antibodies are absorbed intact in the newborn and transported via the lymphatic system. 

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