The effect of bovine colostrum on viral upper respiratory tract infections in children with immunoglobulin A deficiency

INTRODUCTION: Immunoglobulin A (IgA)-deficient patients predominantly suffer from respiratory and gastrointestinal infections since secretory IgA has important functions to protect mucosal surfaces. OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the effect of bovine colostrum, rich in IgA, on the treatment of viral upper respiratory tract (URT) infections in IgA-deficient children. METHODS: Thirty-one IgA-deficient children with viral URT infections were included in this double-blind, placebo-controlled study, and randomly oral bovine colostrum or placebo was given three times a day for 1 week. Samples of saliva IgA were collected before treatment, after the administration of the first dose, and after the last dose. Mothers of the children completed a daily questionnaire regarding the severity of the infection and any adverse effects. RESULTS: The bovine colostrum group had a lower infection severity score than the placebo group after 1 week (respectively 0.81±0.83, 3.00±1.85; P=0.000), but there was no difference between the salivary IgA levels of the groups. CONCLUSION: This is the first study to evaluate the effect of bovine colostrum in IgA-deficient children, and no adverse effects were observed. However, further studies are needed to confirm the efficacy and safety of bovine colostrum in IgA-deficient patients.