The role of breast milk in protecting urban Peruvian children against cryptosporidiosis.

ABSTRACT

PIP: Researchers determined the antibody response to Cryptosporidium sporozoites in 6475 breast milk samples from 211 mothers of newborns living in the shantytown of San Juan de Miraflores on the outskirts of Lima, Peru to determine the association of breast milk with cryptosporidial infection rates, mean duration of infection, and age at 1st infection. They determined that 18.5%, 50.5% and 30.8% of the mothers had high, intermediate, and low anti-Cryptosporidium antibody titers respectively (0.6 optical density [OD], 0.3-0.6 OD, and 0.3 OD respectively). The cryptosporidial infection prevalence rate among the infants was 23.7%. the 50 infected infants experienced 61 episodes of infection. Most of the ill children were confined to the medium and low antibody groups (40% and 38% respectively). Since the study was ongoing, the researchers expected a higher prevalence rate. Infants whose mothers were in the high antibody titer group were significantly younger at 1st infection than those whose mothers were in the low antibody titer group (4.05 months vs. 7.51 months; p.01). The researchers did not anticipate this result. Infection rates were highest between February and June. They were also greatest among 4-8 month old infants which may be associated with weaning off breast milk. No significant differences in prevalence or duration existed among the infants in the various groups. Considerable antibodies to Cryptosporidium in a mother's breast milk did not necessarily protect the infants from the parasitic protozoan.