Pacyna, J., Roberton, E.S., Terry, S., Whyte, P.B.D., Davidson, G.P. and Johnson, R.B. Northfield Laboratories Pty Ltd. Adelaide, South Australia
The Australia Society for Immunology (Inc.) 28th Annual Meeting, Melbourne, November 29 – December 4, 1998. Australia

ABSTRACT:

Rotavirus is a major cause of infantile gastroenteritis worldwide. Although passive immunisation with hyperimmune bovine colostrum (HBC) containing antirotavirus antibodies has been shown to prevent rotavirus infections, little is known about the survival of antibody in human gastrointestinal tract. In this study , a HBC-based product was given to children from several day care centres, for 20 weeks. The incidence of rotavirus diarrhoea in children receiving the HBC was six times lower than in children not taking the product (control group p=0.018). Activity against rotavirus was detected in all faecal samples obtained from children on HBC. No antiviral activity was detected in faecal samples from the control group. In a competitive ELISA, 28-100% of rotavirus was bound by antibodies present in the faecal extracts. The antiviral activity was also strongly and positively related (r=0.94, p<0.001) to virus neutralisation activity. In conclusion, orally administered antibodies retain both antiviral activity and efficacy during passage trough the gastrointestinal tract.