# When protection becomes a paradox: maternal antibodies clear oral rotavirus vaccines before the infant immune system can learn

## TL;DR

Maternal antibodies may prevent infants from building immunity to rotavirus through oral vaccines by clearing the virus too quickly.

## Contribution

The study provides a mechanistic explanation for reduced vaccine efficacy in high-burden settings due to maternal antibodies.

## Key findings

- Maternal antibodies accelerate viral clearance in neonatal mice after oral rotavirus vaccination.
- This interference may explain lower vaccine effectiveness in infants from high-burden regions.

## Abstract

Child morbidity and mortality from infectious diseases remain high in many low- and middle-income countries, highlighting the need for the development of more effective vaccination strategies. In this issue of The EMBO Journal, Chandler et al, demonstrate in a neonatal mouse model that maternal antibodies interfere with oral rotavirus vaccination by accelerating viral clearance, offering a mechanistic rationale for reduced vaccine performance in high-burden settings.

New research in The EMBO Journal shows that maternal antibodies interfere with oral rotavirus vaccination by accelerating viral clearance.