Fecal Tumor Necrosis Factor alpha, Eosinophil Cationic Protein and IgE Levels in Infants with Cows Milk Allergy and Gastrointestinal Manifestations

Infants with atopic eczema exhibit a specific fecal protein pattern after oral challenge with cow's milk, characterized by an increase in both eosinophil cationic protein (ECP) and tumor necrosis factor (TNF)α. The aim of our study was to determine the pattern of these proteins in allergic infants with intestinal manifestations. TNFα, ECP and immunoglobulin E (IgE) were measured in stools from 13 infants with intestinal symptoms and 10 healthy infants. The allergic infants underwent two stool collections, one before a cow's milk challenge and the other after the challenge, either at the onset of clinical manifestations (n=6) or 15 days after the challenge if no clinical manifestations occurred (n=7). Baseline TNFα, ECP and IgE levels were low in all infants. The concentration of TNFα increased after the challenge in infants positive to challenge (p