Specific Milk Immune Response of Rural and Urban Guatemalan Women to Oral Immunization with a Food Protein

Abstract

Forty-nine lactating women from Guatemala, 18 from a rural community and 31 from Guatemala City, were immunized orally with a protein extract from Vigna sinensis. Oral vaccination during the 1st week post-partum induced the appearance of short-lived, specific antibodies in milk in 59% of the subjects. No differences in rates of lactoconvertion were found either between socioeconomic groups or between malnourished and well nourished women.