The passive immunization provides a transitory immunity when it is not possible to have vaccines for the active immunization, or when the vaccines have not gone so far as to put themselves before the exhibition to the infection.

It consists of a concentrated antibodies solution, especially of the called gammaglobulina G or antibody G (IgG). It is obtained from plasma of healthy donors.

After his intramuscular administration, they must pass at least 48 hours before the antibodies levels in the whey reach his maximum value. For it, the immune globulin must be administered in the term as short as possible after the exhibition to the infection. His average life in the plasma is of approximately 3 weeks.

Indications. The immune globulin can use as a prophylaxis opposite to the hepatitis A, the measles, the deficit of antibodies, the chicken pox (in patients inmunodeprimidos, when he does not get ready of antibody antivaricela-zóster) and the exhibition to the German measles in the first trimester of the gestation.

Disadvantages

• Only it provides a transitory protective effect.
• The antibodies content opposite to specific agents changes in different prepared.
• The administration is painful.
• It can cause an anafilaxia (serious allergic shock) for inadvertent intravenous inoculation.
• Very rarely, since it happens with other hemoderivados, the immune globulin can contain transmissible viruses (p. ej., hepatitis B ó C, or the virus VIH of the AIDS).

It is prepared from the persons' plasma that high qualifications of specific antibodies present opposite to algn microorganism.

It is obtained of donors hyperimmunized artificially or of convalescent persons of natural infections.

At present specific hyperimmune globulins exist opposite to illnesses like the hepatitis B, the anger, the lockjaw and the chicken pox - zóster.

His administration is painful and it can provoke anafilaxia (serious allergic shock).

They developed to obtain very big and repeated doses of gammaglobulina or immune globulin.

The immune globulin i.v. is the election product for a lot of immunodeficiencies of the infancy, as well as for the treatment and the prophylaxis of certain serious bacterial and viral infections in paediatrics, as:

• the septicemias of the premature RN and of low weight to the birth,
• the bacterial meningitises,
• the syndrome of Kawasaki
• the infantile AIDS,
• to provide the infection for the virus sincitial respiratory with the children with prematurity history (<35 weeks of gestation). The palivizumab, an antibody monoclonal, has similar indications.

The administration of all the preparations of immune globulin i.v. is painless (as soon as the route was established i.v). and his undesirable effects are slightly frequent.