BACTERIOSTASIS OF ESCHERICHIA-COLI BY MILK .4. BACTERIOSTATIC ANTIBODY OF HUMAN-MILK

Bacteriostatic activity for milk-sensitive and milk-resistant strains of Escherichia coli is reduced when IgA is removed from milk by precipitation. Lysozyme is not involved in bacteriostasis and can be removed without loss of activity; heavy bentonite absorption however removes some lactoferrin causing partial loss of activity.The heat-labile antigen eliciting bacteriostatic antibody for E. coli is present in milk-sensitive and milk-resistant strains and in some other Enterobacteriaceae, e.g. salmonella; it cross reacts with the antigen in others, e.g. proteus and enterobacter. The antibody is therefore likely to be present in all human milk as a result of the normal commensal gut flora and with widespread activity. © 1979, Cambridge University Press