Maternal Immunological Adaptation During Normal Pregnancy

Front Immunol. 2020 Oct 7:11:575197. doi: 10.3389/fimmu.2020.575197. eCollection 2020.

Abstract

The risk and severity of specific infections are increased during pregnancy due to a combination of physiological and immunological changes. Characterizing the maternal immune system during pregnancy is important to understand how the maternal immune system maintains tolerance towards the allogeneic fetus. This may also inform strategies to prevent maternal fatalities due to infections and optimize maternal vaccination to best protect the mother-fetus dyad and the infant after birth. In this review, we describe what is known about the immunological changes that occur during a normal pregnancy.

Keywords: cellular immune response; fetal; gestation; humoral immune response; immune system; immunity.

Publication types

  • Review

MeSH terms

  • Adaptive Immunity*
  • Animals
  • Female
  • Histocompatibility, Maternal-Fetal*
  • Humans
  • Immune System / growth & development
  • Immune System / immunology
  • Immune System / metabolism
  • Immunity, Cellular
  • Immunity, Humoral
  • Immunity, Innate*
  • Maternal-Fetal Exchange
  • Pregnancy
  • Pregnancy Complications / immunology
  • Pregnancy Complications / metabolism
  • Pregnancy Complications / physiopathology