H. Brussow et al., EFFECT OF MALNUTRITION ON SERUM AND MILK ANTIBODIES IN ZAIRIAN WOMEN, Clinical and diagnostic laboratory immunology, 3(1), 1996, pp. 37-41
Serum and human milk antimicrobial antibody titers wore measured longi
tudinally in 17 malnourished and 14 control Zairian women during 6 to
18 months of lactation to test whether malnutrition is specifically as
sociated with an impaired secretory antibody response, No decreases in
total serum and human milk immunoglobulin concentrations, neutralizin
g antibody titers against rotavirus, or specific enzyme-linked immunos
orbent assay antibody titers against rotavirus, respiratory syncytial
virus, Escherichia coli, Streptococcus pneumoniae, and Haemophilus inf
luenzae were detected when malnourished women were compared with contr
ol women. Malnutrition had no effect on circulating and secretory anti
body concentrations in Zairian women. Daily human milk outputs, howeve
r, were about 30% lower in malnourished than in control women, resulti
ng in a correspondingly lower ingestion of immunoglobulins by the chil
dren of malnourished women.