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Protein deprivation causes reversible impairment of mucosal immune response to cholera toxoid/toxin in rat gut

Nature volume 281, pages 64–65 (1979)Cite this article

Abstract

Secretory antibodies may be the major defence against mucosal infections, especially those due to viruses and non-invasive pathogens such as Vibrio cholerae and toxinogenic Escherichia coli. The high incidence of mucosal infections in malnourished protein-deficient children1 may result from defective antibody production2, but evidence for this is conflicting3. We report here that protein deficiency markedly impairs the mucosal immune response to cholera toxoid/toxin (CT), a protein antigen, in rats and that this impairment is rapidly reversed by refeeding.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Departments of Medicine, Baltimore City Hospitals and Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland, 21224

    Wayne S. Barry & Nathaniel F. Pierce

Authors
  1. Wayne S. Barry
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  2. Nathaniel F. Pierce
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Barry, W., Pierce, N. Protein deprivation causes reversible impairment of mucosal immune response to cholera toxoid/toxin in rat gut. Nature 281, 64–65 (1979). https://doi.org/10.1038/281064a0

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