Protection of breast-fed infants against Campylobacter diarrhea by antibodies in human milk.
To investigate the role of breast-feeding in preventing diarrhea caused by Campylobacter jejuni, we followed 98 Mexican children prospectively for 2 years beginning at their birth. Attack rates of diarrhea in children less than 6 months of age who were not fed human milk were 2.3 times greater than those in children of the same age who were fed human milk. Breast-fed children remained free of diarrhea for a longer time than non-breast-fed children (p less than 0.0005). The diarrhea attack rate caused by C. jejuni for non-breast-fed infants was significantly greater (p less than 0.005) than that in the breast-fed group. Secretory IgA milk antibody titers against glycine acid-extractable antigen of C. jejuni were high in colostrum, decreased during the first month of breast-feeding, and generally persisted throughout lactation. Human milk consumed by children in whom Campylobacter diarrhea developed did not contain secretory IgA antibodies to the glycine acid-extractable common antigen of Campylobacter. This study shows an association between Campylobacter antibodies in human milk and prevention of diarrhea caused by Campylobacter.
Ruiz-Palacios
G M
GM
Instituto Nacional de la Nutricion, Department of Infectious Diseases, Mexico City, Mexico.
Calva
J J
JJ
Pickering
L K
LK
Lopez-Vidal
Y
Y
Volkow
P
P
Pezzarossi
H
H
West
M S
MS
D000907:Antibodies, Bacterial / Q000032:analysis / Q000502:physiology*; D001942:Breast Feeding; D002169:Campylobacter Infections / Q000382:microbiology / Q000517:prevention & control*; D002168:Campylobacter fetus / Q000276:immunology* / Q000302:isolation & purification; D002675:Child, Preschool; D003968:Diarrhea, Infantile / Q000382:microbiology / Q000517:prevention & control*; D005243:Feces / Q000382:microbiology; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D007071:Immunoglobulin A, Secretory / Q000032:analysis; D007223:Infant; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D008895:Milk, Human / Q000032:analysis / Q000276:immunology*; D011336:Probability; D011446:Prospective Studies
D000907:Antibodies, Bacterial; D007071:Immunoglobulin A, Secretory