antibody

But it is thought that young calves are particularly vulnerable when they are being weaned, and when the immune-boosting antibodies from the mother's milk decline.

In March this year, blood samples collected from the two cats showed high levels of antibodies to H5N1 — suggesting the cats had been exposed.

Grant funding, she said, “was how we bought the antibodies we needed for experiments, how we purchased our reagents and our consumable supplies.”

Very young babies rely on antibodies acquired during gestation and herd immunity to protect them from measles, which killed roughly 400 children every year in the U.S. before the combined MMR vaccine’s introduction in 1971.

“Vaccinating during pregnancy is incredibly helpful, because moms can make the antibodies and transfer those antibodies across the placenta,” Singh said.