Focus on Transfer Factor

he possibility of stimulating immune function by natural means is a major focus of current interest among practitioners of both allopathic medicine and complementary medicine. Several herbal compounds, including Echinacea and Andrographis, are finding a role in the treatment of immunodefidency or as agents to enhance immunity, to prevent infection and even contribute to longevity. 1 The use of colostrum as a promoter of health and well-being has been recognized for centuries and its use is deeply rooted in the act of "filial piety' in Ancient Chinese Culture (Figure I). The use of natural agents such as immune globulins or other products that are produced by the immune System of mammals has been the focus of intense research in recent times. The idea of providing passive immunity with immune globulin that is administered by injection is a well-defined medical intervention for the prevention of viral disease. A common example is the use of gamma globulin for the prevention of hepatitis A virus infection. Other products of the immune system that are candidates for use in medical treatment include interferon and molecules that can transfer “immune phenomena” from a donor to a recipient. An example of this latter process is the use of transfer factor (TF), an agent that can transfer cell-mediated immunity by the use of soluble factors that are produced by lymphocytes. 2 It is known that TF is contained within certain leukocyte fractions and such fractions have been used for the adoptive transfer of antigen-specific, cell-mediated immunity in animals and humans. 2,3 Antigen-specific TF can also be obtained from colostrum or milk that is secreted by the mammary gland of a mammal that has been exposed to a variety of environmental antigens. The idea that a fraction of colostrum contains TF that can be administered to transfer cell-mediated immunity is very intriguing given the widespread availability of colostrum of bovine origin and the establishment of techniques for the collection of concentrates of TF and its purification for use as a dietary supplement.