need help with your account or subscription? click here to email us (or see the contact page)
join telegramNEW! discord
jump to exam page:
search for anything ⋅ score predictor (โ€œpredict me!โ€)

NBME 20 Answers

nbme20/Block 1/Question#2 (reveal difficulty score)
A mother who has toxoplasmosis gives birth to ...
Antitoxoplasma IgM antibody concentrations ๐Ÿ” / ๐Ÿ“บ / ๐ŸŒณ / ๐Ÿ“–
tags: micro Immuno

 Login (or register) to see more


 +13  upvote downvote
submitted by โˆ—hayayah(1212)
get full access to all contentpick a username

The baby does not get any maternal IgM, IgA or IgE as they do not cross the placenta, so if IgM is found it may suggest the baby has encountered an infection in utero.

IgG is passed down to the baby as a means of passive immunity until the baby can form their own antibodies of different types. So if you see anything other than IgG (e.g. IgM) you know it must be d/t an infection.

get full access to all contentpick a username
hungrybox  The baby gets IgA via breast milk. +10
mbourne  @hungrybox, this is true. However, IgM antibodies are the first antibodies endogenously produced before class-switching occurs. So IgM antibodies in a newborn suggests infection. +11



 +0  upvote downvote
submitted by โˆ—shakakaka(18)
get full access to all contentpick a username

Anyone can explain why IgG is not correct answer ?

get full access to all contentpick a username
drdoom  Newborn immune system will not produce a robust IgG response before about 6 months of age! +2



Must-See Comments from nbme20

amorah on Cytomegalovirus infection
masonkingcobra on Contact with parakeets
hayayah on Capillary hydrostatic: increased; ...
hayayah on X chromosome-linked isoenzymes
medbitch94 on Mannose 6-phosphate
hello on Capillary hydrostatic: increased; ...
hayayah on Osteoblasts
imgdoc on Hypophosphatemia
hayayah on Missense
celeste on 50%
justgettinby on Omeprazole
andrewk1 on Cold, dry air
yotsubato on Jugular venous pressure of 12 mm Hg
strugglebus on Drug effect

search for anything NEW!