Background Colostrum is the primary source of maternal immunoglobulin A (IgA) for the newborn. IgA participates in protection and regulation mechanisms of the immune response at the neonate’s mucosa. Several studies have evaluated infectious diseases and vaccine protocols effects during pregnancy on maternal milk IgA levels, with the aim to understand lactation protecting effect on newborn. However, most of their results demonstrated that there were no differences in the total IgA levels. In humans, IgA has two subclasses (IgA1 and IgA2), they have an anatomical distribution among mucosal compartments, their levels vary after antigen stimulation and are also seen to describe differential affinities in colostrum. Although there are differences between IgA subclasses in several compartments, these studies have excluded specific colostrum IgA1 and IgA2 determination. Methods We analyzed data from 900 women in Mexico City. With Pearson correlation, we compared the number of infectious episodes during their pregnancy that was associated with mucosal compartments (skin, respiratory and gastrointestinal tracts) and colostrum IgA subclasses. Results We show a correlation between increased colostrum IgA1 levels and the number of infectious episodes at respiratory tract and the skin. In contrast, infections at the gastrointestinal tract correlated with increased IgA2 amounts. Conclusions I nfections present during pregnancy at certain mucosal site increase specific IgA subclasses levels in human colostrum. These results will help in understanding infections and immunizations effects on maternal IgA at the mammary gland, and their impact on the development and protection of the newborn. Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article (10.1186/s40748-019-0104-x) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

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Hyper IgE syndrome (HIES) is characterized by recurrent skin abscesses, eczema, pneumonia, and high levels of serum IgE. Nonimmunologic manifestations of HIES include a characteristic face, pathologic dentition, scoliosis, bone alterations, hyperextensible joints, and vascular abnormalities. Somatic mosaicism is defined by the presence of two or more populations of cells with different genotypes in one individual. In this report, we describe one patient with classical HIES and another patient with a mild phenotype, both harboring the same genetic mutation. The patient with a mild phenotype did not present the characteristic face, had normal production of IL-17A by T CD4 cells, but had low phosphorylation of STAT-3 in B cells. Interestingly, the mutation found in B cells was absent in other cell types analyzed, in agreement with the presence of a somatic mosaic genotype. The clinical and functional differences observed between these patients justify the use of complementary tools for a better definition of the cases. These approaches allow for a better understanding of complex phenotypes associated with somatic mosaicisms, and present the possibility to analyze the role of B lymphocytes in the pathophysiology of this disease. This knowledge has an impact on not only the treatment but also the provision of appropriate genetic counseling.