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*Streptococcal Infections

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Infection and Immunity, September 2005, p. 5675-5684, Vol. 73, No. 9
0019-9567/05/$08.00+0     doi:10.1128/IAI.73.9.5675-5684.2005
Copyright © 2005, American Society for Microbiology. All Rights Reserved.

Characterization of Salivary Immunoglobulin A Responses in Children Heavily Exposed to the Oral Bacterium Streptococcus mutans: Influence of Specific Antigen Recognition in Infection

Ruchele D. Nogueira,1 Alessandra C. Alves,1 Marcelo H. Napimoga,1 Daniel J. Smith,2 and Renata O. Mattos-Graner1*

Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Piracicaba School of Dentistry, University of Campinas, São Paulo, Brazil,1 Department of Immunology, The Forsyth Institute, Boston, Massachusetts2

Received 16 February 2005/ Returned for modification 22 March 2005/ Accepted 12 April 2005

The initial infection of children by Streptococcus mutans, the main pathogen of dental caries, depends on the ability of S. mutans to adhere and accumulate on tooth surfaces. These processes involve the adhesin antigen I/II (AgI/II), glucosyltransferases (GTF) and glucan-binding protein B (GbpB), each a target for anticaries vaccines. The salivary immunoglobulin A (IgA) antibody responses to S. mutans antigens (Ags) were characterized in 21 pairs of 5- to 13-month-old children. Pairs were constructed with one early S. mutans-infected and one noninfected child matched by age, racial background, number of teeth, and salivary levels of IgA. Specific salivary IgA antibody response and S. mutans infection levels were then measured during a 1-year follow-up. Robust responses to S. mutans were detected from 6 months of age. Salivary IgA antibody to AgI/II and GTF was commonly detected in salivas of all 42 children. However, GbpB-specific IgA antibody was seldom detected in the subset of infected children (38.1% at baseline). In contrast, most of the subset of noninfected children (76.2%) showed GbpB-reactive IgA antibody during the same period. Frequencies of GbpB responses increased with age, but differences in intensities of GbpB-IgA antibody reactions were sustained between the subsets. At baseline, GbpB-reactive IgA antibody accounted for at least half of the total salivary IgA S. mutans-reactive antibody in 33.3 and 9.5% of noninfected and infected children, respectively. This study provides evidence that a robust natural response to S. mutans Ags can be achieved by 1 year of age and that IgA antibody specificities may be critical in modulating initial S. mutans infection.

* Corresponding author. Mailing address: Faculdade de Odontologia de Piracicaba-UNICAMP, Departamento de Microbiologia e Imunologia, Av. Limeira, 901, CEP 13414-903 Piracicaba, São Paulo, Brazil. Phone: 55 19 3412 5379. Fax: 55 19 3412 5218. E-mail: rmgraner{at}fop.unicamp.br.

Editor: J. D. Clements

Infection and Immunity, September 2005, p. 5675-5684, Vol. 73, No. 9
0019-9567/05/$08.00+0     doi:10.1128/IAI.73.9.5675-5684.2005
Copyright © 2005, American Society for Microbiology. All Rights Reserved.



This article has been cited by other articles:

  • Alves, A. C., Nogueira, R. D., Stipp, R. N., Pampolini, F., Moraes, A. B. A., Goncalves, R. B., Hofling, J. F., Li, Y., Mattos-Graner, R. O. (2009). Prospective study of potential sources of Streptococcus mutans transmission in nursery school children. J Med Microbiol 58: 476-481 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
  • Nogueira, R. D., King, W. F., Gunda, G., Culshaw, S., Taubman, M. A., Mattos-Graner, R. O., Smith, D. J. (2008). Mutans Streptococcal Infection Induces Salivary Antibody to Virulence Proteins and Associated Functional Domains. Infect. Immun. 76: 3606-3613 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
  • Nogueira, R. D., Alves, A. C., King, W. F., Goncalves, R. B., Hofling, J. F., Smith, D. J., Mattos-Graner, R. O. (2007). Age-Specific Salivary Immunoglobulin A Response to Streptococcus mutans GbpB. CVI 14: 804-807 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
  • Mattos-Graner, R. O., Porter, K. A., Smith, D. J., Hosogi, Y., Duncan, M. J. (2006). Functional Analysis of Glucan Binding Protein B from Streptococcus mutans. J. Bacteriol. 188: 3813-3825 [Abstract] [Full Text]  


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