Circulating antibodies to cow's milk proteins in children with acute diarrhoea.

Circulating antibodies to cow's milk protein were investigated in 35 normally nourished infants aged 2 to 11 months. Nine were healthy (control group), and the remaining 26 were convalescents from acute diarrhoea. At the time of assay they were normally hidrated and being fed diluted cow's milk. The results showed elevated hemagglutinating antibody titers in the group of children with diarrhoea, statistically different to the control (p less than 0.001). The existence of an enhanced absorption of non degraded milk protein during the disease is assumed. This observation constitutes one more element in favour of the risk of exposing the digestive tract to antigenic loads in pathological situations as those considered.