Tolerance of the fetus by the maternal immune system: role of inflammatory mediators at the feto-maternal interface

Colette Kanellopoulos-Langevin , Stéphane M Caucheteux , Philippe Verbeke and David M Ojcius

Institut Jacques Monod, CNRS UMR 7592, Universités Paris 6 & 7, 2 place Jussieu, 75251 Paris Cedex 5, France

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Reproductive Biology and Endocrinology 2003, 1:121doi:10.1186/1477-7827-1-121


Published:	2 December 2003

Abstract

The adaptive immune system of placental mammals has evolved to tolerate the fetus. Rejection of the fetus by adaptive immune responses is therefore a rare event, with abortion being caused more frequently by inflammation in the placenta. This review will cover recent aspects of immune privilege and the innate immune system at the feto-maternal interface, citing examples of the role played by microbial infections in fetal demise.