title: Isotypic antibody response to plaque anaerobes in periodontal disease.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  It has been suggested that locally produced immunoglobulin (Ig)A could be more protective than IgG and that there could be a relationship between crevicular fluid-specific IgA levels and the onset of periodontal disease. This study was designed to investigate this hypothesis regarding specific immune responses towards 4 plaque anaerobes in gingival crevicular fluid and saliva from patients with periodontopathies and controls.
  
  
  METHODS
  Gingival crevicular fluid (GCF) and whole saliva were collected from 35 adults with periodontitis and 24 periodontally healthy adults (controls). Antigens were extracted from Actinomyces actinomycetemcomitans, Porphyromonas gingivalis, Prevotella intermedia, and Fusobacterium nucleatum and used to set up specific enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) tests to assess IgA and IgG levels to these microorganisms in the fluids collected.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The crevicular fluid of periodontitis patients contained significantly higher levels of IgG to the 4 microorganisms tested than that of controls (P < 10(-6) for all comparisons). IgA levels to the 4 bacteria were statistically significantly much higher in control crevicular fluid (P < 10(-7) for all comparisons). Controls also had statistically significantly higher levels of specific salivary IgA than patients (P < 0.02 for all comparisons).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  These data support the potentially protective role of specific IgA directed to oral microorganisms involved in the onset and development of periodontal disease.
authors.affiliation: Parodontology Unit, Faculty of Dental Surgery, Nancy, France.
authors.forename: Marc
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Plombas
authors.forename: Bernard
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Gobert
authors.forename: Anne Kennel
authors.initials: AK
authors.lastname: De March
authors.forename: Marie N Kolopp
authors.initials: MN
authors.lastname: Sarda
authors.forename: Michel
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Sixou
authors.forename: Marie C
authors.initials: MC
authors.lastname: Béné
authors.forename: Neal
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Miller
authors.forename: Gilbert C
authors.initials: GC
authors.lastname: Faure
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D016976:Aggregatibacter actinomycetemcomitans / Q000276:immunology; D000907:Antibodies, Bacterial / Q000032:analysis; D000942:Antigens, Bacterial / Q000276:immunology; D001421:Bacteria, Anaerobic / Q000276:immunology*; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D003773:Dental Plaque / Q000276:immunology / Q000382:microbiology; D004797:Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay; D016967:Fusobacterium nucleatum / Q000276:immunology; D005883:Gingival Crevicular Fluid / Q000276:immunology*; D006801:Humans; D007071:Immunoglobulin A, Secretory / Q000032:analysis / Q000276:immunology*; D007074:Immunoglobulin G / Q000032:analysis; D010518:Periodontitis / Q000276:immunology* / Q000382:microbiology*; D016966:Porphyromonas gingivalis / Q000276:immunology; D018713:Prevotella intermedia / Q000276:immunology; D012463:Saliva / Q000276:immunology
chemical_list: D000907:Antibodies, Bacterial; D000942:Antigens, Bacterial; D007071:Immunoglobulin A, Secretory; D007074:Immunoglobulin G