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Differential Recognition of Oral Indigenous Bacteria by Salivary Immunoglobulins A and G
Author(s) -
Deslauriers Noëlla,
Seguin Jacynthe,
Trudel Luc
Publication year - 1987
Publication title -
microbiology and immunology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.664
H-Index - 70
eISSN - 1348-0421
pISSN - 0385-5600
DOI - 10.1111/j.1348-0421.1987.tb03084.x
Subject(s) - biology , antibody , saliva , microbiology and biotechnology , immunoglobulin a , immunology , immune system , bacteria , humoral immunity , streptococcus , immunoglobulin g , biochemistry , genetics
Assuming that salivary immunity to indigenous microorganisms could develop, we assessed antibacterial reactivities of natural salivary antibodies in specific pathogen‐free inbred mice. An ELISA was set up, using whole bacterial cells, to map reactivities of salivary IgA and IgG which accounted respectively for 91% and 8.7% of salivary Ig's in the BALB/c mouse. Representative strains of seven species from three genera ( Lactobacilli, Staphylococci , and Streptococci ), including major and minor components of the murine oral flora (38, 43, and 8%, respectively), were used to determine the presence and level of specific antibodies in individual saliva. It was verified that naturally occurring IgA antibodies can display diverse antibacterial reactivities. A characteristic profile emerged for salivary IgA where antibodies to Streptococcus faecalis predominate. Natural salivary IgG antibodies did not show the same reactivity pattern as IgA, anti‐Lactobacilli and anti‐Staphylococci reactivities being much less frequent in the salivary IgG repertoire. However, antibodies to S. faecalis occurred at the same high frequency for both isotypes (62–70% of the samples). Besides being species‐specific, antibacterial reactivities were also found to be strain‐specific. Broad variations in antibacterial titers were detected among individual mice under standardized experimental conditions. Present data thus suggest that the dynamics of salivary antibody production in the mouse reflect a differential natural sensitization of the secretory (IgA) versus the systemic (IgG) immune systems by distinct populations of indigenous bacteria.