title: Humans immunized with Streptococcus mutans antigens by mucosal routes.
abstract: Strategies aimed at the prevention of Streptococcus mutans infection and dental caries include mucosal immunization, which results in salivary anti-S. mutans responses. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of nasal vs. tonsillar immunization with S. mutans antigens in inducing salivary immune responses. Twenty-one adult subjects were immunized twice, within a seven-day interval, with a glucosyltransferase-enriched preparation (E-GTF) administered by nasal or tonsillar topical spray. Parotid saliva, nasal wash, and serum were collected prior to and at one- to two-week intervals for 3 months following immunization and were assayed by ELISA for anti-E-GTF activity. Results were analyzed by means of the mixed-models procedure with p < 0.05 level of significance. Significantly higher anti-E-GTF responses were detected in saliva and nasal wash samples from the group immunized by the nasal compared with the tonsillar route, indicating that nasal immunization was more effective in inducing mucosal responses in adults.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatric Dentistry, School of Dentistry, University of Alabama at Birmingham, 35294-0007, USA. nkc@uab.edu
authors.forename: N K
authors.initials: NK
authors.lastname: Childers
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Tong
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Li
authors.forename: A P
authors.initials: AP
authors.lastname: Dasanayake
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Kirk
authors.forename: S M
authors.initials: SM
authors.lastname: Michalek
mesh_terms: D000281:Administration, Intranasal; D000287:Administration, Topical; D000328:Adult; D000704:Analysis of Variance; D000907:Antibodies, Bacterial / Q000032:analysis / Q000097:blood; D000942:Antigens, Bacterial / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D003731:Dental Caries / Q000517:prevention & control*; D004311:Double-Blind Method; D004797:Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay; D005964:Glucosyltransferases / Q000008:administration & dosage; D006801:Humans; D018928:Immunity, Mucosal; D007070:Immunoglobulin A / Q000032:analysis / Q000097:blood; D008081:Liposomes; D008875:Middle Aged; D009061:Mouth Mucosa / Q000276:immunology; D017817:Nasal Lavage Fluid / Q000276:immunology; D009297:Nasal Mucosa / Q000276:immunology; D014066:Palatine Tonsil / Q000276:immunology; D012463:Saliva / Q000276:immunology; D022541:Streptococcal Vaccines; D013295:Streptococcus mutans / Q000276:immunology*; D014611:Vaccination / Q000379:methods*
chemical_list: D000907:Antibodies, Bacterial; D000942:Antigens, Bacterial; D007070:Immunoglobulin A; D008081:Liposomes; D022541:Streptococcal Vaccines; D005964:Glucosyltransferases