Secretory IgA in nasal secretions of children with acute gastroenteritis and kwashiorkor.

Secretory immunoglobulin A (IgA) was quantitated using the Mancini technique in the nasal washings of children with acute gastroenteritis and in children with kwashiorkor but without gut symptoms. The total immunoglobulin was expressed as a percentage of total protein in nasal secretion measured by biuret method. The IgA level was slightly lower in the kwashiorkor group than in the control group, and there was no statistical difference between IgA level in the acute gastroenteritis and the control group. An explanation for these observations is offered.