Filarial infection during pregnancy has profound consequences on immune response and disease outcome in children: A birth cohort study.

The study shows a causal association between maternal filarial infection and impaired or altered immune response in children more susceptible to filarial infection during early childhood. As lymphatic damage that commences in childhood during asymptomatic stage has major implications from public health point of view, understanding maternal programming of the newborn immune system could provide a basis for interventions promoting child health by implementing MDA campaigns towards all women of childbearing age and young children in achieving the target of global elimination of LF.