Salivary IgA antibody to glucosyltransferase in man.

Parotid salivas of 97 young adults were screened for IgA antibody to glucosyltransferase (GTF) from laboratory strains of Streptococcus mutans (serotypes c and g). Antibody levels to GTF from serotype c positively correlated with levels to serotype g GTF among these salivas. GTF's were prepared from S. mutans obtained from a subset of individuals in this population. All but one saliva showed IgA antibody activity to all of the GTF tested. In addition, the relative magnitude of each subject's antibody level was generally the highest to the GTF from their own S. mutans. Fractions, enriched for IgA by ammonium sulphate precipitation and gel filtration, showed patterns of functional inhibition of GTF activity which were consistent with patterns of IgA antibody activity in ELISA of unfractionated salivas. These data indicate that detectable levels of IgA antibody to S. mutans GTF exist in many young adult salivas, while this IgA antibody activity reacts with GTF from different biotypes, subjects generally show the highest secretory IgA antibody levels to their own GTF, and the relative amount of IgA antibody to GTF and the ability to inhibit GTF activity are roughly correlated.