Bacteriostasis of Escherichia coli by milk. IV. The bacteriostatic antibody of human milk.
Bacteriostatic activity for milk-sensitive and milk-resistant strains of Escherichia coli is reduced when IgA is removed from milk by precipitation. Lysozyme is not involved in bacteriostasis and can be removed without loss of activity; heavy bentonite absorption however removes some lactoferrin causing partial loss of activity. The heat-labile antigen eliciting bacteriostatic antibody for E. coli is present in milk-sensitive and milk-resistant strains and in some other Enterobacteriaceae, e.g. salmonella; it cross reacts with the antigen in others, e.g. proteus and enterobacter. The antibody is therefore likely to be present in all human milk as a result of the normal commensal gut flora and with widespread activity.
D000918:Antibody Specificity; D001546:Bentonite / Q000494:pharmacology; D004755:Enterobacteriaceae / Q000187:drug effects; D004926:Escherichia coli / Q000187:drug effects / Q000254:growth & development*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007070:Immunoglobulin A / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D007781:Lactoferrin / Q000494:pharmacology; D008895:Milk, Human / Q000276:immunology* / Q000502:physiology; D011247:Pregnancy; D013045:Species Specificity; D014168:Transferrin / Q000494:pharmacology
D007070:Immunoglobulin A; D014168:Transferrin; D001546:Bentonite; D007781:Lactoferrin