Used by permission.
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Immune Benefits of Breastmilk at a Glance
| Component | Action |
|---|---|
| B Lymphocytes | Give rise to antibodies targeted against specific microbes. |
| Macrophages | Kill microbes outright in the baby's gut, produce lysozyme and activate other components of the immune system. |
| Neutrophils | May act as phagocytes, injecting bacteria in baby's digestive system. |
| T lymphocytes | Kill infected cells directly or send out chemical messages to mobilize other defenses. They proliferate in the presence of organisms that cause serious illness in infants. They also manufacture compounds that can strengthen a child's own immune response. |
| Component | Action | ||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Antibodies of secretory IgA class | Bind to microbes in baby's digestive tract and thereby prevent them from passing through walls of the gut into body's tissues. | ||||||||||||||||
| B12 binding protein | Reduces amount of vitamin B-2, which bacteria need in order to grow. | ||||||||||||||||
| Bifidus factor | Promotes growth of Lactobacillus bifidus, harmless
bacterium, in baby's gut. Growth of such nonpathogenic bacteria helps to crowd out dangerous
varieties.
| Fatty acids | Disrupt membranes surrounding certain viruses and destroy
them. | Fibronectin | Increases antimicrobial activity of macrophages; helps to repair
tissues that have been damaged by immune reactions in baby's gut. | Gamma-interferon | Enhances antimicrobial activity of immune cells. | Hormones and growth factors | Stimulate baby's digestive tract to mature more
quickly. Once the initially"leaky" membranes lining the gut mature, infants become less vulnerable
to microorganisms. | Lactoferrin | Binds to iron, a mineral many bacteria need to survive. By reducing
the available amount of iron, lactoferrin thwarts growth of pathogenic bacteria. | Lysozyme | Kills bacteria by disrupting their cell walls. | Mucins | Adhere to bacteria and viruses, thus keeping such microorganisms
from attaching to mucosal surfaces. | Oligosaccharides | Bind to microorganisms and bar them from attaching to
mucosal surfaces. | |
The table is from course notes by
Robert J. Huskey, University of Virginia;
adapted from an article in Scientific American.
Used by permission.
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