Milk: The New Sepsis Vaccine

 
Scientists at the University of Maryland, School of Medicine are collaborating with researchers at Bali Biosciences Inc. to determine the health benefits of milk laced with sepsis vaccine.

Professor Alan Cross at the University of Maryland recently conducted a clinical trial for to gauge the effects of "colostrum" on the digestive system. The process begins with inoculating cows with the sepsis vaccine. The cows then produce a colostrum which is rich with antibodies for sepsis and other diseases. Colostrum is the first milk produced by a cow after giving birth. It is important in establishing a state of good health for the baby calf. Researchers then collected the colostrum with sepsis anti-bodies from cows, and tested its ability to decrease negative effects of malnutrition.

When a person is suffering from malnutrition, often the interior intestinal walls will break down causing bacteria to move from the digestive system to the blood stream which can then cause sepsis and a weakened immune system. Colostrum works by binding to the sepsis toxins and leaving the body by means of feces.

This research is important because if it is established that colostrum is a successful way of restoring health after malnutrition, not only will sepsis be more treatable but so will other malnutrition related conditions. Because the colostrum comes from a natural and , for all intents and purposes, renewable resource, it will be much cheaper to produce than traditional vaccines, therefore making available to the people and countries most affected by malnutrition. This treatment could potentially save thousands of lives in many countries. It may not a complete solution to the problem but it is definitely a step in the right direction and if it makes even a few hundred lives better, then it is well worth the work done to research and manufacture it.

The potential benefits of this treatment have been recognized by physicians and researchers at institutions across the country including University of Maryland School of Medicine, Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, and Arizona State University School of Life Sciences.

http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=milk-of-life-dairy-cows-i