Modulation
of the immune system and the response against pathogens with bovine
colostrum concentrates.
Solomons NW.
Center for Studies
of Sensory Impairment, Aging and Metabolism, (CeSSIAM), Guatemala
City, Guatemala.
The growth, development
and health conditions for children living under deprived conditions
in developing countries are so adverse that immediate public health
measures to reduce morbidity and improve nutrition are urgently needed.
Preventing and
shortening the course of diarrhoeal episodes, eliminating protozoal
colonization, and balancing intestinal microflora would all contribute
to these goals.
The consumption
by humans of part of the colostrum produced when a dairy animal gives
birth is an established tradition in many traditional societies. Recent
advances in food technology in industrial dairying allow for continuous
availability of stabilized bovine colostrum concentrate, both natural
and hyperimmunized against specific human pathogens. This is safe
for the calves of the producers themselves, for laboratory animals,
and generally for humans, with the caveat of the milk-allergic.
Moreover, substantial
amounts of orally ingested bovine colostrum concentrate survive their
passage through the stomach to remain intact and active in the lower
reaches of the bowel. Studies in animals, human volunteers and naturally
infected humans have demonstrated a therapeutic efficacy of oral bovine
colostrum with certain infections.
Similarly, attempts
to prevent gastrointestinal infections in animals, exposed volunteers
and at-risk populations have met with limited success with specific
pathogens.
It is time to
begin to assess the feasibility and potential effectiveness and efficiency
of employing seasonal or chronic bovine colostrum feeding in populations
of deprived infantile populations to reduce the rates of recurrent
gastroenteritis and decrease immunostimulation to improve vitality
and nutritional status in early life. doi:10.1038/sj.ejcn.1601480
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