Inter-individual and inter-regional variability of breast milk antibody reactivity to bacterial lipopolysaccharides.

ABSTRACT: Breast milk is a vital source of nutrients, prebiotics, probiotics, and protective factors, including antibodies, immune cells and antimicrobial proteins. Using bacterial lipopolysaccharide arrays, we investigated the reactivity and specificity of breast milk antibodies towards microbial antigens, comparing samples from rural Kenya and urban Switzerland. Results showed considerable variability in antibody reactivity both within and between these locations. Kenyan breast milk demonstrated broad reactivity to bacterial lipopolysaccharides, likely due to increased microbial exposure. Antibodies primarily recognized the O-antigens of lipopolysaccharides and showed strong binding to specific carbohydrate motifs. Notably, antibodies against specific Escherichia coli O-antigens showed cros

SUBMITTER: Crone L 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC11412857 | biostudies-literature | 2024

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature