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Biotherapeutic agents and disease in infants
1National Immunization Program, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, GA, USA.
Advances in Experimental Medicine and Biology
|January 15, 2002
Summary
Human milk components protect infants from infections. Biotherapeutic agents like prebiotics and probiotics offer a model for preventing and treating infectious diseases in all ages.
Area of Science:
- Immunology
- Microbiology
- Pediatrics
Background:
- Human milk contains protective factors against infant infectious diseases.
- Biotherapeutic agents, including prebiotics and probiotics, modulate infant gut microbiota and immune responses.
- These agents show promise in preventing infant diarrhea and other infections.
Purpose of the Study:
- To highlight the protective role of human milk components.
- To demonstrate the efficacy of biotherapeutic agents in infant health.
- To establish a model for using biotherapeutics against infectious diseases.
Main Methods:
- Scientific literature review on human milk factors.
- Analysis of studies on prebiotics and probiotics in infants.
- Evaluation of immune and microbiota modulation data.
Main Results:
- Human milk factors exhibit synergistic and redundant protective effects.
- Prebiotics and probiotics significantly alter intestinal microflora.
- These agents modulate local and systemic immune responses in infants.
Conclusions:
- Human milk's protective mechanisms provide a blueprint for biotherapeutic development.
- Prebiotics and probiotics are effective in preventing infant infectious diseases.
- Biotherapeutic agents hold potential for treating and preventing infectious diseases across all age groups.
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