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research-article |
Specific Antibodies in Colostrum of North Indian Mothers with Special Reference to Their Nutritional Status
*Departments of Immunology Delhi-110007, India
**Departments of Virology, Vallabhbhai Patel Chest Institute Delhi-110007, India
***Department of Paediatrics, Maulana Azad Medical College New Delhi-110002, India
Dr K. Saha
The antiS. typhi antibody is predominantly IgA class, and the anti-polio-antibody, antimeasles antibody, antiE. Coli enterotoxin antibody and antiS. typhi agglutinins were found adequate in the colostrum samples of well- and under-nourished mothers. No antibody against tetanus toxin was detectable in colostrum samples from mothers of both the groups, although they have been immunized against tetanus toxoid during pregnancy, suggesting thereby that the presence of specific antibody in the mother's breast secretions is associated with the enteromammary axis, leading to the homing of B-lymphocytes which have been specifically sensitized in the gut.