Ontogeny and senescence of salivary immunity.

The objective of the present study was to evaluate the capacity for secretory immune responses throughout life. This was done by measuring, by single radial immunodiffusion, the concentrations of IgA and IgA1 subclass in saliva samples of subjects who ranged in age from two months to 91 years. The presence of salivary IgA antibodies to two nearly ubiquitous mucosal antigens, Streptococcus mutans glucosyltransferase (GTF) and killed poliovirus (Types 1, 2, and 3), was measured in an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay in this population. Whole saliva from 2-5-month-old infants contained significantly less IgA than did parotid saliva of any adult group. Also, a significantly higher proportion of the total salivary IgA was IgA1 in infants' saliva than was found in parotid saliva of adults. Salivary IgA and IgA1 subclass levels in parotid saliva of young and old (70-91 years) adults did not differ. Salivary IgA antibody levels to GTF were negligible in most saliva samples of children less than five years old, while 40% of children older than one year had detectable levels of salivary antibody to poliovirus (PV). This differences between response to GTF and PV antigens may reflect differences in antigenic challenge. Parotid saliva of the oldest group (70-91 years) had narrowly distributed and uniformly low levels of IgA antibody to both antigens. Since their IgA immunoglobulin levels were the same as in younger adults, the low antibody levels in this oldest group may be associated with changes in the number or function of T or B lymphocytes or antigen-processing cells, and/or may result from diminished levels of challenge with these antigens.