A review of the effect of human milk fractions on the adherence of diarrheogenic Escherichia coli to the gut in an animal model.

We conducted studies showing that nonimmunoglobulin fractions of human milk or colostrum inhibited the adherence of certain diarrheogenic Escherichia coli to the gut. This activity resisted boiling and digestion with trypsin, but was nearly abolished by periodate treatment. The inhibitory activity is therefore related to carbohydrate residues in human milk that probably act as receptor analogues.