Human breast milk contains an array of factors with anti-infectious potential, such as
immunoglobulins (especially
secretory IgA),
oligosaccharides and
glycoproteins with anti-adhesive capacity, and
cytokines. Breast-feeding is associated with protection from the following
infections or
infection-related conditions:
gastroenteritis, upper and lower
respiratory tract infection, acute
otitis media,
urinary tract infection, neonatal septicaemia and
necrotizing enterocolitis. Some of the protective effects may derive from an altered mucosal colonization pattern in the breast-fed infant. In other instances breast-fed infants develop less symptoms to the same microbe which causes disease in the bottle-fed infant. An example of an altered colonization pattern is that breast-fed infants have less P-fimbriated, but more type 1-fimbriated E. coli. This may protect against
urinary tract infection in the breast-fed infant since P. fimbriae are the major
virulence factor for
urinary tract infection. An example of changed consequences of the same microbial colonization is that
secretory IgA in the breast-milk protects very efficiently from translocation of intestinal bacteria across the gut mucosa by coating intestinal bacteria and blocking their interaction with the epithelium. This mechanism may protect the infant from septicaemia of gut origin and, possibly,
necrotizing enterocolitis. Breast-milk is also highly anti-inflammatogenic and contains
hormone like factors which counteract
diarrhea. Thus, breast-fed infants may be colonized by recognized diarrheal pathogens and still remain healthy. Due to a less virulent intestinal microflora and decreased translocation breast-fed infants will obtain less stimuli for the gut immune system, resulting, in e.g., lower salivary
IgA antibody titres.