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Antibodies Found in Egg Yolks

Hens' immune systems are structurally different than mammalian immune systems. Hens transfer immunoglobulin Y (IgY) into egg yolks while the egg is in their ovary. As the egg passes from the oviduct it gains immunoglobulin A and M from oviduct secretion. Hens' immunoglobulin Y has different immunological properties than mammalian immunoglobulin G. The ability of IgY to bind to and inhibit the growth of bacteria was studied by the Poultry Research Center, University of Alberta.

  1. Salmonella

    • The Center for Disease Control reports Salmonella serovars, Salmonella enteritidis and Salmonella typhimurium are the cause of salmonella in humans and infections in chickens. A study by Drs. Lee, Sunwoo, Menninen and Sim of the immunological properties of IgY at the Poultry Research Center of the University of Alberta determined that IgY inhibited the growth of Salmonella enteritidis and Salmonella typhimurium. The structure of the Salmonella surface molecules were altered by IgY, which impaired them functionally.

    Rabies

    • Thirty-five to 50,000 Asians die annually from rabies without prompt diagnosis. Mouse, rabbit and goat serum have been used to diagnose rabies, but it is expensive and dangerous to expose laboratory personnel to rabies. Interdisciplinary doctors from veterinary, virology and nutrition schools at the University of Kyoto, Japan immunized hens with rabies-specific antibodies found in Escherichia coli. This study concluded that IgY immunized chickens can act as a reagent to identify rabies.

    Breast Cancer

    • Chickens were immunized with a human insulin-like substance by Dr. Rochefort and Dr. Brouillet of Montpellier University in France. The IgY antibodies extracted from the hens' egg yolks strongly absorbed two types of receptors from the insulin-like substance. The IgY antibodies were tested on breast and ovarian cancer cells and on frozen breast cancer tissues from 40 invasive breast carcinomas of varied tumor sizes. Ten of the tumors were surrounded by normal glands. The insulin-like receptor was lower in cancer cells than in normal cells, but concentration did not vary with the size of the tumor.

    Gastrointestinal Infections

    • Antibodies from chicken eggs are an alternative to oral antibiotics as a cure for gastrointestinal (GI) pathogens in humans or animals and for the prevention and treatment of infectious gastrointestinal disease. A chicken lays about 280 eggs each year. One egg yolk contains 100 to 150 mg of IgY, which means each chicken produces 40 grams of IgY for the treatment of antibiotic-resistant pathogens. Oral IgY is successful against GI infections: rotaviruses, coronavirus, Escherichia coli, Salmonella, Edwardsiella tarda, Staphylococcus and Pseudomonas. Researchers at the University of Guelph, Ontario hope to find a way to keep IgY from breaking down in the GI tract.

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