In article <200006252151343.SM00303@[216.220.164.55]>, Jay Mone
<URL:mailto:jaymone at paonline.com> wrote:
> Marc,
> I read with interest your post about IgA deficiency, and the suggestion
> of lactobacillus as a treatment. As a microbiologist, I have never seen
> anything suggesting that lactobacillis has any therapeutic effect on this
> disorder, which, presumably, has a genetic basis. As you probably know,
> antibodies (of which IgA is one type), are very specific for the
> substances which induce their production. A cold virus induces Abs
> against that particular virus, and no other. With these two basic ideas
> (genetics and specificity) on the table, I fail to see how lactobacillis
> would induce Abs against anything other than lactobacillis. It is very
> likely, although I'm not that familiar with this area of the literature,
> that lactobacillis induces IgA Abs (in people who can produce them) since
> the bacteria inhabits the intestinal surfaces (among other places) where
> IgA is the most important Ab type. How this would help you prevent colds
> and other respiratory infections is beyond me. If you have some insight,
> I would be interested in learning about it.
>> Jay Mone'
>
I would agree with the above. One of the most common causes of IgA
deficiency is a genetic defect in the ability to make IgA (commonly there
is a gene deletion). For this type of IgA deficiency there no chance of
stimmulating IgA production through any form of antigen challenge.
Mike Clark, <URL:http://www.path.cam.ac.uk/~mrc7/>
--
o/ \\ // || ,_ o M.R. Clark, PhD. Division of Immunology
<\__,\\ // __o || / /\, Cambridge University, Dept. Pathology
"> || _`\<,_ // \\ \> | Tennis Court Rd., Cambridge CB2 1QP
` || (_)/ (_) // \\ \_ Tel.+44 1223 333705 Fax.+44 1223 333875
