Karen wrote, "Well, here's a total fantasy, but just popped into my head.

If a breastfeeding mom is exposed or infected, her milk has active
anti-SARS ab's.  Wonder if there are therapeutic possibilities for use
of bmilk for the >60 yr old patients whose mortality rate is the
highest?"

Don't think that is a total fantasy.  It is possible that some researcher
will suggest or more likely patent human milk antibodies (proteins) for use
with SARS patients.  Of course that does not mean that breastfeeding will be
encouraged.  In fact it will be more likely that breastfeeding will be
discouraged--due to the economic interest in selling meds and vaccines.

There is an interesting study posted to the CDC called "Human Milk Secretory
Antibodies against Attaching and Effacing Esherichia coli Antigens" by
Noguera-Obenza et al.  It is difficult but most interesting reading.  A
particular antibody made by human milk makes it a "useful candidate for an
immunization strategy that could lead to a vaccine that protects against both
EHEC and EPEC of multiple serotypes."
Rather amusing in a sad sort of way that this antibody does not make it a
useful candidate for an enormous governmental effort to encourage
breastfeeding.  But the USA is obviously the land of economic opportunism.
So instead we will continue to hear about this baby or that baby who could
not breastfeed because the mother had e.coli.  And so we will continue to
discourage or outright prevent certain women from breastfeeding because they
have the "current disease of the month."


http://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/EID/vol9no5/02-0441.htm

"Human milk is protective against many enteropathogens.  Because antibodies
in milk reflect previous immunologic events in the mother's gut, human milk
is ideally suited for defining mucosal protective immunity."

Valerie W. McClain, IBCLC





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