Transmission of lymphocyte responsiveness to schistosomal antigens by breast feeding.
Fifty normal infants were evaluated for the influence of their feeding pattern on the mother-to-child transmission of lymphocyte responsiveness to Schistosoma mansoni antigens. Positive delayed-type hypersensitivity reactions (DTH) were observed in 56% of infants who were breast-fed by infected mothers. Two out of 20 formula-fed infants born to infected mothers had positive DTH. A positive DTH was detected in only one infant out of 15 breast-fed by schistosomiasis-free mothers. These results suggest that cellular hypersensitivity to S. mansoni antigen can - at least in part - be transmitted in the colostrum/milk of infected mothers to their infants.
Eissa
A M
AM
Department of Paediatrics, School of Medicine, Al-Azhar University, Cairo, Egypt.
Saad
M A
MA
Abdel Ghaffar
A K
AK
el-Sharkaway
I M
IM
Kamal
K A
KA
D000328:Adult; D000818:Animals; D000947:Antigens, Helminth / Q000276:immunology*; D001903:Bottle Feeding; D003126:Colostrum / Q000276:immunology; D004534:Egypt; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D006968:Hypersensitivity, Delayed / Q000276:immunology*; D007111:Immunity, Cellular; D007223:Infant; D008214:Lymphocytes / Q000276:immunology; D008297:Male; D008895:Milk, Human / Q000276:immunology*; D012550:Schistosoma mansoni / Q000276:immunology*; D012555:Schistosomiasis mansoni / Q000276:immunology
D000947:Antigens, Helminth