The role of developmental immune mechanisms in intestinal allergy

Maternal transplacental antibody, circulating antibody and secretory antibody may influence neonatal processing of enteric antigen which in turn may influence the development of both a systemic and mucosal immune response later in life. Immune responses of different isotypes to enteric antigens appear to require the passage of antigen through the specialized cells overlying by lymphoid aggregates. As this schema demonstrates (Figure 7), transplacental antibody present in the infant's intestinal mucosa may complex with antigen and cause it to be recognized in a different way. Post-partum, maternal serum antibody may affect the passage of foreign antigens into the breast milk, and finally those antigens that are present in the milk may also form immune complexes upon arriving in the milk and again affect the processing of antigen in the infant's intestine.