Here's another reference (but unfortunately without the citation for the
study) regarding the production of antibodies in the breast:

On pp. 349 of the 6th edition of La Leche League International's Womanly
Art of Breastfeeding it states:

"Another fascinating finding related to human milk's immune properties was
the discovery that the breast can deliver a particular antibody in response
to a new germ in baby's environment. A chain of events begins when the
fully breastfed baby is beset with a new germ. As he continues to nurse,
perhaps even more often than usual because he is not feeling well, the
offending organism is passed from baby to mother. The breast produces the
needed immunoglobulin on site, locally, and sends the protective element
along to the baby in the milk. This is a system of "specialized
programming," with the nursing mother making antibodies on demand to germs
that challenge her baby. The baby places the order, and the mother programs
the cells and delivers the appropriate antibody."

Without seeing the reference supporting this, I don't suppose we can know
for sure that this isn't again regarding the "broncho-mammary" or
"entero-mammary" pathway rather than "a direct immune response of the
mammary gland to the mouth-of-the-baby" as Annelies is trying to find.
A search of LLLI's Center for Breastfeeding Information database (now
accessible free through their web site at www.lalechleague.org) yields 365
articles on immune factors in human milk (keyword: HM Immune Factors) and
71 articles on immunology (keyword: immunology). No titles appeared clearly
and specifically related to this issue. However, I was scanning them while
under the supervision of my 3-and-a-half-year-old daughter/supervisor, so I
could have missed something! Several articles are regarding general
immunologic topics and might address the issue. The articles indexed on
LLLI's web site are worth a search, too.
Cynthia Good Mojab
Ammawell
Email: [log in to unmask]
Web site: http://ammawell.homepage.com

             ***********************************************
The LACTNET mailing list is powered by L-Soft's renowned
LISTSERV(R) list management software together with L-Soft's LSMTP(TM)
mailer for lightning fast mail delivery. For more information, go to:
http://www.lsoft.com/LISTSERV-powered.html