Mother to Child Transfer of IgG and IgA Antibodies Against Dermatophagoides pteronyssinus

Abstract

There is strong evidence from animal models that placental and/or breast milk‐mediated transfer of maternal allergen‐specific IgG prevents allergic immune responses in the progeny. Both human and animal data also point to IgA as having an important regulatory role. In contrast, little is known about maternal transfer of IgG and IgA specific for respiratory allergens in humans. Dermatophagoides pteronyssinus (Der p) is an indoor allergen that is a major cause of asthma worldwide. We analysed maternal to child Der p‐specific IgG and IgA transfer in a cohort of 77 paired maternal and child samples. We found Der p‐specific IgG and its IgG1, IgG2 and IgG4 subclasses in all cord blood samples. Except for IgG1, cord levels were higher in newborns from atopic mothers (n = 29) compared to non‐atopic mothers (n = 48). Der p‐specific IgA was found in all colostrum samples and levels were independent of maternal atopic status. Notably, anti‐Der p IgG was also found in colostrum and levels were higher in atopic mothers. We believe that our work is a critical first step in the identification of early factors that may impact asthma development and should guide the development of clinical studies that assess whether Der p‐specific IgG and IgA protect children from allergy as demonstrated in animal models.

Respiratory allergen from house dust mite is present in human milk and primes for allergic sensitization in a mouse model of asthma

“…Interestingly, Der p‐specific IgG was detected in almost all colostrum and milk samples (supplementary Fig. S3 and Table S3), confirming and extending our previous observations using Brazilian human colostrum samples . TGF‐β was also found in all samples, and there was no difference found in its content between countries.…”

An infant mouse model of influenza virus transmission demonstrates the role of virus-specific shedding, humoral immunity, and sialidase expression by colonizingStreptococcus pneumoniae

“…Our experiments also demonstrate that IAV-specific serum IgG is predominantly transferred via breastfeeding in mice, as previously reported (53, 54). The concept of maternal serum IgG passage via breastmilk in mice has not often been recognized, even though it has been shown to occur (53, 55-57). IgG can be synthesized locally in the mammary gland, transferred across the mammary gland epithelium, and subsequently transported from the infant gut to the circulation via neonatal Fc receptors (FcRn) expressed in the proximal intestine (58-60).…”

Low doses of IgG from atopic individuals can modulatein vitroIFN-γ production by human intra-thymic TCD4 and TCD8 cells: An IVIg comparative approach

“…Atopic mothers have been shown to be capable of transferring higher levels of anti-Dermatophagoides pteronyssinus IgG via breast milk than non-atopic mothers. 15 Another finding regarding IgG is that its reactivity to IgE can play a pivotal role in the mechanism by which non-atopic individuals produce IgE without a response to allergen exposure. 16 Human atopic children have also been shown to exhibit higher serum levels of anti-OVA IgG than non-atopic children at age 2.…”