PREMATURE & SECRETORY IgA

Abstract

Newborn infants have little or no secretory IgA (SIgA) at birth. Earlier studies suggest that premature infants do not significantly differ from term babies in their rate of acquisition of SIgA. No study to date has examined SIgA production as a function of gestational age or examined the kinetics of SIgA acquisition in premature infants of various ages and term infants. This study examined the unstimulated saliva in 40 infants including 13 term babies, 15 prematures with gestational ages 31-35 wks, and 12 less than 31 wks. A sensitive double antibody radiommunoassay was used to assay SIgA compared with a human colostrum derived SIgA standard. No baby was fed breast milk and formula preparations were shown not to inhibit the assay. Results of SIgA in mg/dl shown as mean and range:

These results indicate that SIgA is absent in some prematures and term infants. The more premature the infant, the more likely is SIgA to be absent very early in life. After the first week of life, however, infants acquire SIgA at a comparable rate regardless of gestational age. The increased susceptibility to infection found in premature infants is most likely due to multiple factors, but a significant lag in SIgA production does not appear to be operative.

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