IgY antibodies for the immunoprophylaxis and therapy of respiratory infections

Abbas, Aymn Talat; El-Kafrawy, Sherif Aly; Sohrab, Sayed Sartaj; Azhar, Esam Ibraheem Ahmed

IgYs cause agglutination of pathogens (virus, bacterial, fungal), leading to their immobilization, which facilitates their removal from the gut. 61 Adherence-blockade Inhibition of adhesion has been shown to be the main mechanism of IgY action against pathogens in vitro. 62, 63 Experiments in vivo demonstrated that IgY prevented Escherichia coli K88 from adhering to the intestinal mucus of piglets. 62 IgY was also found to bind to exposed factors on the surface of gram-negative bacteria, such as fimbriae (or pili), flagella, lipopolysaccharides, and outer membrane proteins. 25 Binding of the IgYs blocked or impaired the function of these growth-related components of the bacteria. It is also possible that specific IgY binding to bacteria could alter cellular signaling processes, leading to decreased toxin production and release. 25