[Correlation between IGA from colostrum and serum and IGA is closer than between salivary IGA and total IGA]

Colostrum, serum and saliva were simultaneously obtained from 50 normal mothers. 19-45 years old, 36-72 hours post-delivery. Total IgA level and class-IgA antibodies against 3 common food antigens (lactoglobulin, gliadin and ovalbumin) and 4 types of salmonella (typhi, paratyphi A, B and C) were determined in all samples. The 7 antibodies (Ab) were detected in colostrum, by ELISA, in a higher percentage of samples (88-62%), than in serum (82-34%) and saliva (77-27%). These percentages were higher for food-Ab than for anti-salmonella Ab. The total colostral IgA was close correlated with food-Ab in colostrum (p less than 0.001) and quite poorer with anti-salmonella Ab (p less than 0.05-p less than 0.01). A good correlation was generally also present between Ab from colostrum/serum, but was worse between both secretions (colostrum/saliva). The present results suggest that colostrum specific Ab levels can be predicted, depending on total IgA and the specific Ab from serum.