Neonatal IgA and IgE levels among infants with paternal heredity for atopic disease

Serum IgA and IgE levels were studied in the postnatal period in 21 infants having a paternal heredity of atopic disease. Three different sampling techniques were used, aspirated cord blood (CB), gravity-collected cord blood, and capillary collected blood at 4–5 days of age. Significant differences among the three sampling techniques were recorded for IgA ( P <0.01), but not for IgE. The IgA levels decreased from birth to 4–5 days of age in 90% (19/21) of the infants ( P <0.01). The corresponding decrease in IgE levels was 20%. This postnatal difference in the frequency of decreasing/increasing IgA and IgE levels was significant ( P <0.05). An analysis of CB IgA to detect maternal contamination of CB was found to be of questionable value, since only 50% (2/4) of the cases with an elevated CB-IgA level could be considered contaminated. The results of this study further emphasize that aspiration of CB and capillary collection of blood at 4–5 days of age are the best sampling techniques to avoid contamination. The general finding that paternal heredity had no significant influence on infant IgE contrasts with the strong influence of maternal heredity. Further studies will show whether the explanation lies in genetic or transplacental factors, or in both kinds of factors.