Maternal vaccination for protection against maternal and infant bacterial and viral pathogens

Vaccination during pregnancy has been a highly successful public health strategy to prevent both mother and infant from disease caused by common pathogens such as tetanus, pertussis, diphtheria, and influenza. However, safe and effective maternal vaccines against several relevant maternal, congenital, and neonatal pathogens have yet to be developed. Maternal, congenital, and neonatal pathogens that have a major public health impact for which clinically licensed maternal vaccines do not exist include respiratory syncytial virus, human immunodeficiency virus, human cytomegalovirus, herpes simplex viruses (HSV-1 and HSV-2), Zika virus, and group B streptococcus. In this chapter, we review successful maternal vaccination strategies that can be safely administered to women of childbearing age before they become pregnant and vaccines that can be safely administered during pregnancy. We also highlight current strategies-and their limitations-for treating maternal and neonatal pathogens that pose a great public health burden, and we review promising vaccine concepts and their potential applications for preventing infant bacterial and viral infections.

Duke Scholars

Author Sallie Robey Permar Pathology