title: Serum antibody as a marker of protection against natural rotavirus infection and disease.
abstract: To determine whether naturally acquired serum IgA and IgG antibodies were associated with protection against rotavirus infection and illness, a cohort of 200 Mexican infants was monitored weekly for rotavirus excretion and diarrhea from birth to age 2 years. Serum samples collected during the first week after birth and every 4 months were tested for anti-rotavirus IgA and IgG. Children with an IgA titer >1:800 had a lower risk of rotavirus infection (adjusted relative risk [aRR], 0.21; P<.001) and diarrhea (aRR, 0. 16; P=.01) and were protected completely against moderate-to-severe diarrhea. However, children with an IgG titer >1:6400 were protected against rotavirus infection (aRR, 0.51; P<.001) but not against rotavirus diarrhea. Protective antibody titers were achieved after 2 consecutive symptomatic or asymptomatic rotavirus infections. These findings indicate that serum anti-rotavirus antibody, especially IgA, was a marker of protection against rotavirus infection and moderate-to-severe diarrhea.
authors.affiliation: Department of Infectious Diseases, Instituto Nacional de la Nutrición, Mexico City, Mexico.
authors.forename: F R
authors.initials: FR
authors.lastname: Velázquez
authors.forename: D O
authors.initials: DO
authors.lastname: Matson
authors.forename: M L
authors.initials: ML
authors.lastname: Guerrero
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Shults
authors.forename: J J
authors.initials: JJ
authors.lastname: Calva
authors.forename: A L
authors.initials: AL
authors.lastname: Morrow
authors.forename: R I
authors.initials: RI
authors.lastname: Glass
authors.forename: L K
authors.initials: LK
authors.lastname: Pickering
authors.forename: G M
authors.initials: GM
authors.lastname: Ruiz-Palacios
mesh_terms: D000914:Antibodies, Viral / Q000097:blood*; D015415:Biomarkers / Q000097:blood*; D015331:Cohort Studies; D015986:Confounding Factors, Epidemiologic; D003968:Diarrhea, Infantile / Q000097:blood* / Q000453:epidemiology; D006801:Humans; D007070:Immunoglobulin A / Q000097:blood; D007074:Immunoglobulin G / Q000097:blood; D015994:Incidence; D007223:Infant; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D008800:Mexico / Q000453:epidemiology; D012401:Rotavirus / Q000276:immunology*; D012400:Rotavirus Infections / Q000097:blood / Q000276:immunology*
chemical_list: D000914:Antibodies, Viral; D015415:Biomarkers; D007070:Immunoglobulin A; D007074:Immunoglobulin G