The study, led by Kirsi Järvinen-Seppo at the University of Rochester Medical Center's Golisano Children’s Hospital and published in Science Translational Medicine, followed a longitudinal birth cohort. The team compared Old Order Mennonite farming families in New York's Finger Lakes region with urban and suburban families in Rochester and collected cord blood, infant blood, stool, saliva and human milk from pregnancy through the first year.
Farm-exposed infants showed signs of earlier antibody-system maturation: they had more "experienced" B cells, including higher numbers of memory and IgG+ B cells, and higher IgG and IgA levels in blood, saliva and stool. Mothers from farm families had higher IgA levels in their milk, indicating a more active antibody system in these infants.
The researchers measured egg-specific IgG4 and IgA in infant blood and milk and tracked which infants developed egg allergy. OOM infants and their mothers had higher egg-targeting antibodies, and antibody levels in milk correlated with lower egg allergy risk. The detection of food antigens and antigen-specific IgA in cord blood also suggests that in-utero exposure may shape early immunity. URMC is now running a randomized trial to study maternal diet, milk antibodies and infant allergy outcomes.
Difficult words
- cohort — a group of people studied over time
- longitudinal — following the same people over time
- cord blood — blood from a newborn's umbilical cord
- antibody — a protein that helps the immune systemantibody-system, antibody system
- b cell — a white blood cell that makes antibodiesB cells
- in-utero — before birth, inside the mother's womb
- randomized trial — a study where participants are assigned by chance
- correlate — showed a connection or relationship between thingscorrelated
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Discussion questions
- How might maternal diet affect antibodies in breast milk and infant allergy risk?
- What are the advantages and limitations of studying farm families to learn about child immunity?
- Would you consider changing your diet during pregnancy to try to reduce allergies in your child? Why or why not?
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