effects of maternal immune system status on neonate’s immune system

Background: this study evaluated the effects of the maternal immune system stimulation or suppression during the pregnancy on the development of the neonate’s immune system. methods: a total of 20 female rats were divided into four groups. the groups were treated using leishmania major, salmonella typhimurium, tacrolimus, and sterilized normal saline. the animals were mated after 3-time treatments. the neonate’s humoral immune response, total body, thymus, liver, spleen weight, and histology were determined in this study. results: the spleen’s mean weight of the two-month-old samples showed a significant reduction in the salmonella group; in addition, the tacrolimus group had a significant reduction in liver mean weight. the salmonella and tacrolimus groups showed a significant reduction (p≤0.05) in the anti-sheep red blood cells antibody titer. conclusion: stimulation or suppression of the immune responses during the pregnancy has significant effects on the neonate’s immune responses, spleen, liver, and thymus development.