title: The mucosal immune system of the respiratory tract.
abstract: Most viruses use host mucosal surfaces as their initial portals of infection. The respiratory tract has the body's second-largest mucosal surface area after the digestive tract. An understanding of the unique nature of the mucosal immune system of respiratory organs is therefore extremely important for the development of new-generation vaccines and novel methods of preventing and treating respiratory infectious diseases, including viral infections.
authors.affiliation: Division of Mucosal Immunology, Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Institute of Medical Science, The University of Tokyo, 4-6-1 Shirokane-dai, Minato-ku, Tokyo 108-8639, Japan.
authors.forename: Shintaro
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Sato
authors.forename: Hiroshi
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Kiyono
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D006801:Humans; D018928:Immunity, Mucosal; D008954:Models, Biological; D020545:Respiratory Mucosa / Q000276:immunology*; D012137:Respiratory System / Q000276:immunology*; D012141:Respiratory Tract Infections / Q000276:immunology