scholarly journals Evidence of a significant secretory-IgA-dominant SARS-CoV-2 immune response in human milk following recovery from COVID-19

Author(s):  
Alisa Fox ◽  
Jessica Marino ◽  
Fatima Amanat ◽  
Florian Krammer ◽  
Jennifer Hahn-Holbrook ◽  
...  

AbstractSARS-CoV-2, commonly termed COVID-19 for the illness it causes, has infected >3.2 million people, including >220,000 deaths. Human milk IgG originates mainly from blood, therefore a SARS-CoV-2-reactive antibody (Ab) response in milk would be expected (1). However, IgG comprises only ~2% of milk Ab, with most milk Abs originating from mucosa-associated lymphatic tissue (1). Therefore, the extent of the milk immune response to SARS-CoV-2 is unknown (2). This response is critical for infants and young children, who tend not to suffer greatly from COVID-19 pathology but are likely responsible for significant virus transmission (3-5). Perhaps even more significant is the fact that milk Abs could be purified and used as a COVID-19 therapeutic, given they would likely be of the secretory (s) class and highly resistant to proteolytic degradation in the respiratory tissue (2, 6). In this preliminary report, 15 milk samples obtained from donors previously-infected with SARS-CoV-2 as well as 10 negative control samples obtained prior to December 2019 were tested for reactivity to the Receptor Binding Domain (RBD) of the SARS-CoV-2 Spike protein by ELISAs measuring IgA, IgG, IgM, and secretory Ab. Eighty percent of samples obtained post-COVID-19 exhibited IgA reactivity, and all these samples were also positive for secretory Ab reactivity, suggesting the IgA is predominantly sIgA. COVID-19 group mean OD values of undiluted milk were significantly greater for IgA (p<0.0001), secretory-type Abs (p<0.0001), and IgG (p=0.017), but not for IgM, compared to pre-pandemic group mean values. Overall, these data indicate that there is strong sIgA-dominant SARS-CoV-2 immune response in human milk after infection in the majority of individuals, and that a comprehensive study of this response is highly warranted.

2020 ◽  
Vol 99 (6) ◽  
pp. 177-183
Author(s):  
M.P. Kostinov ◽  
◽  
A.A. Dzhumagaziev ◽  
D.A. Bezrukova ◽  
D.V. Raisky ◽  
...  

Objective of the research: to determine IgG antibodies (AB) to S. pneumoniae serotypes in overweight children after administration of a 13-valent pneumococcal conjugate vaccine (PCV13). Materials and methods: blood serum of 17 children with excess BW (main group) and 40 children with normal BW (control group) aged 3 to 7 years, vaccinated with PCV13 were examined. The method of solid phase ELISA was used for determination of IgG AB levels to a mixture of capsular polysaccharides (CPS) of pneumococcus contained in PCV13 and serotypes 1, 3, 4, 5, 6A, 6B, 7F, 9V, 14, 18C, 19A, 19F, 23F S. pneumoniae, after 6 months after vaccination with PCV13. Results: all children had post-vaccination specific AB to pneumococcal serotypes in the value higher than the negative control. In the main group, the mean values of IgG AB to 5 of 13 S. pneumoniae serotypes 7F, 9V, 18C, 19A, 23F and to the mixture of CPS in the vaccine were higher than in the control group, as well as the proportion of children with high (more than 100 cu) levels of IgG AB to the mixture of PCV13 CPS and to the pneumococcal serotype 18C in comparison with the control. Further study of the immune response to pneumococcal vaccination in children with metabolic disorders is needed.


2015 ◽  
Vol 29 (3) ◽  
pp. 119-129 ◽  
Author(s):  
Richard J. Stevenson ◽  
Deborah Hodgson ◽  
Megan J. Oaten ◽  
Luba Sominsky ◽  
Mehmet Mahmut ◽  
...  

Abstract. Both disgust and disease-related images appear able to induce an innate immune response but it is unclear whether these effects are independent or rely upon a common shared factor (e.g., disgust or disease-related cognitions). In this study we directly compared these two inductions using specifically generated sets of images. One set was disease-related but evoked little disgust, while the other set was disgust evoking but with less disease-relatedness. These two image sets were then compared to a third set, a negative control condition. Using a wholly within-subject design, participants viewed one image set per week, and provided saliva samples, before and after each viewing occasion, which were later analyzed for innate immune markers. We found that both the disease related and disgust images, relative to the negative control images, were not able to generate an innate immune response. However, secondary analyses revealed innate immune responses in participants with greater propensity to feel disgust following exposure to disease-related and disgusting images. These findings suggest that disgust images relatively free of disease-related themes, and disease-related images relatively free of disgust may be suboptimal cues for generating an innate immune response. Not only may this explain why disgust propensity mediates these effects, it may also imply a common pathway.


Author(s):  
Jillian Wettlaufer

Background: Stenotrophomonas maltophilia is one of the most common multidrug-resistant organisms isolated from the cystic fibrosis (CF) respiratory tract but it is unknown how it influences the long term clinical outcomes of CF patients.   Objective/Hypothesis: To characterize the immune response to S. maltophilia and its association with clinical outcomes in CF patients over time.  Methods: This was a longitudinal study from 2007-2014 of CF patients followed at The Hospital for Sick Children and St. Michael’s Hospital. All patients were classified as: 1) those with chronic S. maltophilia: ³2 positive cultures/year, 2) intermittent S. maltophilia: 1 positive sputum culture/year, and 3) no S. maltophilia cultures/year with and without chronic P. aeruginosa. IgG/IgA/IgM serologic responses were measured in serial sera samples by ELISA using whole cell S. maltophilia antigen. Results were calculated as the ratio of the average serum sample optical density to the average optical density of the negative control wells. Antibody levels for each patient were compared longitudinally to their rate of decline in FEV1 % predicted, body mass index, and rate of hospitalization.   Results: S. maltophilia antibody levels were measured in 350 sera samples from 113 CF patients. Median baseline antibody levels were 1.56 (range 0.996-5.15) in chronic patients, 1.09 (range 0.907-3.79) in intermittent patients, and 1.12 (range 0.737-4.86) in patients with no S. maltophilia.  Conclusions: Preliminary data suggests antibody levels to be significantly higher in patients with chronic S. maltophilia, and no significant difference between intermittent S. maltophilia and no S. maltophilia.


2015 ◽  
Vol 144 (2) ◽  
pp. 247-256 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. BELLO ◽  
D. SÁEZ ◽  
E. ESCALONA ◽  
P. VELOZO ◽  
C. A. SANTIVIAGO ◽  
...  

SUMMARYSalmonella Enteritidis is the main cause of foodborne salmonellosis worldwide. The limited effectiveness of current interventions against this pathogen has been the main incentive to develop new methods for the efficient control of this infection. To investigate the use of DNA vaccines against S. Enteritidis in humans, immune responses stimulated by two plasmids containing the genes designated SEN1002, located in the pathogenicity island SPI-19 and encoding a Hcp protein involved in transport mechanisms, and SEN1395, located in the genomic island ΦSE14 and encoding a protein of a new superfamily of lysozymes, were evaluated. Humoral and cellular responses following intranasal immunization of two groups of BALB/c mice with the plasmids pV1002 and pV1395 plus adjuvant were evaluated and it was observed that the IgG2a/IgG1 ratios were sixfold higher than control groups. Both plasmids stimulated specific secretory IgA production. Increased proliferation of lymphocytes and IFN-γ production were detected in both experimental groups. DNA-vaccinated mice developed protective immunity against a virulent strain of S. Enteritidis, with nearly 2 logs of protection level compared to the negative control values in the spleen. Therefore, DNA vaccines are efficient at stimulating cellular and humoral immune responses at systemic and mucosal levels.


Author(s):  
Elvira Estorninos ◽  
Rachel B Lawenko ◽  
Eisel Palestroque ◽  
Norbert Sprenger ◽  
Jalil Benyacoub ◽  
...  

Abstract Background Bovine milk-derived oligosaccharides (MOS) containing primarily galacto-oligosaccharides with inherent levels of sialylated oligosaccharides can be added to infant formula to enhance the oligosaccharide profile. Objective To investigate the effects of a MOS-supplemented infant formula on gut microbiota and intestinal immunity. Methods In a double-blind, randomized, controlled trial, healthy-term formula-fed infants aged 21–26 days either received an intact protein cow's milk-based formula (control group, CG, n = 112) or the same formula containing 7.2 g MOS/L (experimental group, EG, n = 114) until age 6 months. Exclusively human milk-fed infants (HFI, n = 70) from an observational study served as reference. Fecal samples collected at baseline, 2.5 and 4 months of age were assessed for microbiota (16S ribosomal ribonucleic acid—based approaches), metabolites and biomarkers of gut health and immune response. Results At age 2.5 and 4 months, redundancy analysis (P = 0.002) and average phylogenetic distance (P &lt; 0.05) showed that the overall microbiota composition in EG was different from CG and closer to that of HFI. Similarly, EG caesarean-born infants were different from CG caesarean- or vaginally-born infants and approaching HFI vaginally-born infants. Relative bifidobacteria abundance was higher in EG vs. CG (P &lt; 0.05) approaching HFI. At age 4 months, counts of Clostridioides difficile and Clostridium perfringens were ∼90% (P &lt; 0.001) and ∼65% (P &lt; 0.01) lower in EG vs. CG, respectively. Mean (95%CI) fecal secretory immunoglobulin A (IgA) in EG was twice that of CG [70 (57,85) vs. 34 (28,42) mg/g, P &lt; 0.001] and closer to HFI. Fecal oral polio vaccine-specific IgA was ∼50% higher in EG vs. CG (P = 0.065). Compared to CG, EG and HFI had lower fecal calcium excretion (by ∼30%) and fecal pH (P &lt; 0.001), and higher lactate concentration (P &lt; 0.001). Conclusions Infant formula with MOS shifts the gut microbiota and metabolic signature closer to that of HFI, has a strong bifidogenic effect, reduces fecal pathogens, and improves intestinal immune response.


2017 ◽  
Vol 44 (3) ◽  
pp. 535-545
Author(s):  
Luis R. Martínez-Córdova ◽  
Teresa Gollas-Galván ◽  
Estefanía Garibay-Valdez ◽  
Rocío Valenzuela-Gutiérrez ◽  
Marcel Martínez Porchas ◽  
...  

The physiological and immune responses of adult shrimp (Litopenaeus vannamei) undergoing the acute phase of the necrotizing hepatopancreatitis (NHP) disease and the efficiency of oxytetracycline (OXI) and florfenicol (FF) to eliminate the pathogen were evaluated. Four shrimp groups were considered: three groups infected with necrotizing hepatopancreatitis bacteria (NHP-B) (two treated with antibiotics and a positive control) and one group non-infected (negative control). Hemolymph concentration of glucose, lactate, acylglycerides, cholesterol, total protein, aminotransferases, superoxide dismutase, and the transcriptional expression of several immune related genes were monitored at the acute phase of the disease, and at 15 and 20 days after administration of antibiotics (daa). Shrimp from the positive control registered a mortality of 100%. NHP-B infection affected the immu-nophysiological response of shrimp; herein, most of the parameters were significantly up regulated in infected shrimp before the use of antibiotics, compared to the negative control. Increased transcriptional levels of clotting protein, lipopolysaccharide and β-1-3-glucan binding protein (LGBP), serine protease, peroxinectin, lysozyme, heat shock proteins (HSP) 60 and 70 were detected in shrimp treated with OXI. At 20 daa NHP-B was still detected in FF-treated shrimp, but not in OXI-treated shrimp. It is hypothesized that despite none of the antibiotics per se eliminated the bacterium, both had a negative effect on its virulence. OXI seems to have a greater effect, allowing shrimp to integrate a better immune response at 15 daa.


2010 ◽  
Vol 77 (2) ◽  
pp. 183-189 ◽  
Author(s):  
Charles Czank ◽  
Karen Simmer ◽  
Peter E Hartmann

The combination of ultrasound and heat (thermoultrasound) is an emerging food preservation technique that retains higher quantities of bioactive components compared with current thermal pasteurization practice, but has not yet been assessed for pasteurizing human milk. Artificially contaminated human milk samples were treated with ultrasound (20 kHz, 150 watts) with and without heating. The retention of four human milk proteins was quantified by biochemical assay and laser scattering particle sizing was used to determine the extent of homogenization. While ultrasonic treatment was effective at inactivating Escherichia coli (D4 °C=5·94 min), Staphylococcus epidermidis exhibited resistance (D4 °C=16·01 min). Thermoultrasonic treatment was considerably more effective (Esch. coli D45 °C=1·74 min, D50 °C=0·89 min; Staph. epidermidis D45 °C=2·08 min, D50 °C=0·94 minutes) with a predicted retention (2·8 min treatment, 50°C) of secretory IgA lysozyme, lactoferrin and bile salt stimulated lipase of 91, 80, 77, and 45%, respectively. Homogenization of the milk samples occurred after 5 min and 2 min of ultrasonic and thermoultrasonic treatment, respectively. Thermoultrasonic treatment is an effective method for pasteurizing donor human milk and retaining a greater proportion of bioactive components compared with current practices. However, further studies are required to assess the practicality of applying this technique routinely to donor human milk.


PEDIATRICS ◽  
1994 ◽  
Vol 93 (1) ◽  
pp. 28-31
Author(s):  
Juan N. Walterspiel ◽  
Ardythe L. Morrow ◽  
Larry K. Pickering ◽  
Guillermo M. Ruiz-Palacios ◽  
M. Lourdes Guerrero

Objective. To determine whether anti-Giardia lamblia secretory IgA (sIgA) antibodies in human milk protect infants from acquisition of or symptoms associated with Giardia infection. Methods. One hundred ninety-seven Mexican mother/infant pairs were followed weekly from birth for diarrheal disease and feeding status. Infant stool specimens were collected weekly and were cultured for bacterial pathogens and tested for Giardia and rotavirus by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Maternal milk samples were collected weekly for 1 month postpartum and monthly thereafter. To determine the protective effect of anti-Giardia sIgA in milk against infection and against diarrhea due to Giardia, milk samples from mothers of infected infants and appropriately matched controls were assayed for anti-Giardia sIgA by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Results. Asymptomatic, infected infants ingested significantly (P = .046) higher amounts of milk anti-Giardia sIgA compared with symptomatic, infected infants. However, milk anti-Giardia sIgA concentrations did not differ between Giardia-infected and noninfected infants. Conclusion. The amount of anti-Giardia sIgA in human milk was associated with prevention of symptoms of diarrhea due to Giardia, but not with acquisition of the organism.


2016 ◽  
Vol 16 (1) ◽  
pp. 181-195 ◽  
Author(s):  
Melinda Kovács ◽  
Tamás Tuboly ◽  
Miklós Mézes ◽  
Krisztián Balogh ◽  
Zsolt Gerencsér ◽  
...  

Abstract Growing rabbits’ (42 rabbits/group, 3 rabbits/cage, 14 cages/treatment) diet was supplemented with 5% Spirulina (Arthrospira platensis) and 3% thyme (Thymus vulgaris L.) powder single (S or T) and in combination (ST) between 35 and 77 days of age. On day 0 (weaning at 35 days of age) 14 rabbits were vaccinated with 100 μg/animal ovalbumin to provoke immune response. Blood samples were taken on days 0, 14, 28 and 42 of the experimental period. Sampling dates significantly influenced total protein, albumin, glucose, cholesterol, urea, creatinine concentration and enzyme (AST, ALT, GGT) activities, with a significant age × diet interaction in the case of TP and CREA. There was a significant increase in ALT (+45 and 74%) and GGT (+87 and 102%) activity after immunisation. While Spirulina and thyme significantly ameliorated the rise in AST activity, their effect was inefficient in the case of GGT. Spirulina, both single and in combination showed a tendency in higher IgG level as compared to control (P<0.05). No significant effect of sampling date or treatment on phagocytic activity or secretory IgA was demonstrable (P>0.05). Higher MDA concentration was measured in the red blood cells of S, T and ST animals, while no other significant diet effect on the antioxidant parameters was detected, however, significant sampling date × diet interaction was found in the case of GPx activity. Plasma GGT (increase by 19-66%) was inversely associated with GSH (decrease by 66-113%) between days 0 to 42 of the experimental period (r=-0.57, P<0.05). It can be concluded that Spirulina supplementation alone resulted in higher IgG production, but none of the phytobiotics, at the dose used, affected significantly the antioxidant status of blood.


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