Effect of probiotic supplementation on immunoglobulins, isoagglutinins and antibody response in children of low socio-economic status.
BACKGROUND
Antigen exposure is one of the major exogenous factors modulating human immunocompetence acquisition. Decline in family size and improvements in public health and hygiene in developed countries, may deprive the immune system of appropriate antigen input by diminishing infectious stimuli. Probiotics are a large group of microorganisms defined by their beneficial effects on human health and with stimulating effects on different functions of the immune system.


OBJECTIVE
We conducted a double-blind, placebo-controlled trial to determine if probiotics maintain their immune-stimulating effects in a population of 162 children with a high index of natural exposure to microorganisms. Children were to ingest for at least 4 months one of two products, low-fat milk fermented by Streptococcus thermophilus (control product) or low-fat milk fermented by S. thermophilus and Lactobacillus casei, with Lactobacillus acidophilus, oligofructose and inulin added after the fermentation process (test product). According to their age, children were vaccinated with DTP-Hib vaccine or a 23-valent anti-pneumococcal vaccine.


RESULTS
Final analysis of results was done in 70 children in each group, showing that the rate of immunoglobulin and isoagglutinin acquisition was similar in both groups. There was no difference between groups in antibody levels neither before nor after vaccination. Days of fever and number of episodes of infection were not statistically different in either group.


CONCLUSIONS
Supplementation of standard fermented milk with additional probiotics was not of benefit. The high natural rate of early microbial exposure in infants and children from a population of low socio-economic status living in a "less hygienic environment" may account for the absence of an additional immune-stimulating effect by supplementary probiotics.
Hospital de Niños de La Plata, Comisión de Investigaciones Científicas de la Provincia de Buenos Aires, La Plata, Argentina. disaper@netverk.com.ar
Néstor
N
Pérez
Juan C
JC
Iannicelli
Cecilia
C
Girard-Bosch
Silvia
S
González
Ana
A
Varea
Liliana
L
Disalvo
María
M
Apezteguia
Juan
J
Pernas
Dimas
D
Vicentin
Ricardo
R
Cravero
D000373:Agglutinins / Q000097:blood / Q000187:drug effects / Q000276:immunology*; D000917:Antibody Formation / Q000187:drug effects / Q000276:immunology*; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D019587:Dietary Supplements; D004311:Double-Blind Method; D004797:Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007136:Immunoglobulins / Q000097:blood / Q000187:drug effects / Q000276:immunology*; D007223:Infant; D007779:Lactobacillus acidophilus / Q000276:immunology; D007780:Lacticaseibacillus casei / Q000276:immunology; D008297:Male; D019936:Probiotics / Q000494:pharmacology*; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors; D048249:Streptococcus thermophilus / Q000276:immunology
D000373:Agglutinins; D007136:Immunoglobulins