Developmental Profiles of Mucosal Immunity in Pre-school Children

This study investigated the effect of attending pre-school on mucosal immunity. Children 3.5 to 5 years of age who attended pre-school were observed for a 10 month period. Demographic information was collected on previous childcare experiences, the home environment and clinical information relating to the child and the family. A daily illness log was kept for each child. A multivariate longitudinal analysis of the relation between immunoglobulins in saliva and age, gender, childcare experience, pre-school exposure, number of siblings, environmental tobacco smoke (ETS), atopy and hospitalisation was conducted. There was a positive association of higher IgA levels with the winter season and with children being older than 4 years (P < .001), having attended childcare prior to commencing pre-school (P < .05), and having been exposed to ETS at home (P < .05). Lower IgA levels were associated with being atopic (P < .05). Higher IgG levels were associated with exposure to ETS (P < .001), while lower levels were associated to having atopy. Higher IgM levels were associated with previous childcare experience (P < .01) whilst having been hospitalised was associated with having low salivary IgM levels (P < .01). Lagged analyses demonstrated that immunological parameters were affected by the number of respiratory infections in the preceding 2 months

Developmental Profiles of Mucosal Immunity in Pre-school Children

This study investigated the effect of attending pre-school on mucosal immunity. Children 3.5 to 5 years of age who attended pre-school were observed for a 10 month period. Demographic information was collected on previous childcare experiences, the home environment and clinical information relating to the child and the family. A daily illness log was kept for each child. A multivariate longitudinal analysis of the relation between immunoglobulins in saliva and age, gender, childcare experience, pre-school exposure, number of siblings, environmental tobacco smoke (ETS), atopy and hospitalisation was conducted. There was a positive association of higher IgA levels with the winter season and with children being older than 4 years (P < .001), having attended childcare prior to commencing pre-school (P < .05), and having been exposed to ETS at home (P < .05). Lower IgA levels were associated with being atopic (P < .05). Higher IgG levels were associated with exposure to ETS (P < .001), while lower levels were associated to having atopy. Higher IgM levels were associated with previous childcare experience (P < .01) whilst having been hospitalised was associated with having low salivary IgM levels (P < .01). Lagged analyses demonstrated that immunological parameters were affected by the number of respiratory infections in the preceding 2 months

Bacterial otitis media: a vaccine preventable disease?

Otitis media (OM) is the most common childhood illness for which medical advice is sought. Whilst the disease rarely results in death, there is a significant level of morbidity and economic burden on the community. Although the causes of OM are multifactoral, bacterial and viral infections are the single most important cause. Bacteria responsible for infections of the middle ear are predominantly, nontypeable Haemophilus influenzae, Streptococcus pneumoniae and Moraxella catarrhalis. Antibiotics have been widely used to treat children who present to a medical clinic with OM. However, given the high prevalence of this disease and the increasing incidence of microbial resistance to antibiotics, there is a need to develop alternative therapeutic strategies such as vaccination. Pneumococcal polysaccharide vaccination has produced disappointing results for effectiveness in preventing OM and there is evidence of an increased incidence of disease due to non-vaccine serotypes. An efficacious vaccine for bacterial OM would require combining protective protein antigens from all three causative bacteria. A combined bacterial-viral vaccine formulation would produce the most profound and sustained impact on reducing the global incidence of OM

Developmental profiles of mucosal immunity in pre-school children

This study investigated the effect of attending pre-school on mucosal immunity. Children 3.5 to 5 years of age who attended pre-school were observed for a 10 month period. Demographic information was collected on previous childcare experiences, the home environment and clinical information relating to the child and the family. A daily illness log was kept for each child. A multivariate longitudinal analysis of the relation between immunoglobulins in saliva and age, gender, childcare experience, preschool exposure, number of siblings, environmental tobacco smoke (ETS), atopy and hospitalisation was conducted. There was a positive association of higher IgA levels with the winter season and with children being older than 4 years (P < .001), having attended childcare prior to commencing pre-school (P < .05), and having been exposed to ETS at home (P < .05). Lower IgA levels were associated with being atopic (P < .05). Higher IgG levels were associated with exposure to ETS (P < .001), while lower levels were associated to having atopy. Higher IgM levels were associated with previous childcare experience (P < .01) whilst having been hospitalised was associated with having low salivary IgM levels (P < .01). Lagged analyses demonstrated that immunological parameters were affected by the number of respiratory infections in the preceding 2 months

Developmental Profiles of Mucosal Immunity in Pre-school Children

This study investigated the effect of attending pre-school on mucosal immunity. Children 3.5 to 5 years of age who attended pre-school were observed for a 10 month period. Demographic information was collected on previous childcare experiences, the home environment and clinical information relating to the child and the family. A daily illness log was kept for each child. A multivariate longitudinal analysis of the relation between immunoglobulins in saliva and age, gender, childcare experience, pre-school exposure, number of siblings, environmental tobacco smoke (ETS), atopy and hospitalisation was conducted. There was a positive association of higher IgA levels with the winter season and with children being older than 4 years (<.001), having attended childcare prior to commencing pre-school (<.05), and having been exposed to ETS at home (<.05). Lower IgA levels were associated with being atopic (<.05). Higher IgG levels were associated with exposure to ETS (<.001), while lower levels were associated to having atopy. Higher IgM levels were associated with previous childcare experience (<.01) whilst having been hospitalised was associated with having low salivary IgM levels (<.01). Lagged analyses demonstrated that immunological parameters were affected by the number of respiratory infections in the preceding 2 months

Developmental profiles of mucosal immunity in pre-school children

This study investigated the effect of attending pre-school on mucosal immunity. Children 3.5 to 5 years of age who attended pre-school were observed for a 10 month period. Demographic information was collected on previous childcare experiences, the home environment and clinical information relating to the child and the family. A daily illness log was kept for each child. A multivariate longitudinal analysis of the relation between immunoglobulins in saliva and age, gender, childcare experience, preschool exposure, number of siblings, environmental tobacco smoke (ETS), atopy and hospitalisation was conducted. There was a positive association of higher IgA levels with the winter season and with children being older than 4 years (P < .001), having attended childcare prior to commencing pre-school (P < .05), and having been exposed to ETS at home (P < .05). Lower IgA levels were associated with being atopic (P < .05). Higher IgG levels were associated with exposure to ETS (P < .001), while lower levels were associated to having atopy. Higher IgM levels were associated with previous childcare experience (P < .01) whilst having been hospitalised was associated with having low salivary IgM levels (P < .01). Lagged analyses demonstrated that immunological parameters were affected by the number of respiratory infections in the preceding 2 months

Receptor mediated targeting of M-cells

The intestinal epithelium is a complex system of highly specialised cells that provide digestive and absorptive functions as well as innate and adaptive immunity. Induction of an adaptive immune response in the intestine can occur through the interaction of antigen with M-cells that overlay the lymphoid aggregates of the intestine (Peyer's patches). This study demonstrated that specific common microbial pathogen-associated molecular patterns are recognised by pattern recognition receptors on the surface of the M-cells and this interaction initiates transcytosis through the M-cell of particulate antigen from the intestinal milieu to underlying antigen presenting cells within the Peyer's patch. The study has found that among the pattern recognition molecules that have a role in recognising bacterial components, the apical expression of α5β1 integrin was important for the transcytotic function of M-cells. A proportion of intestinal enterocytes transform to an M-cell morphology in vitro, when cultured with Peyer's patch cells and our studies have demonstrated that CD4+ cells are integral for the development of M-cells in vitro

Developmental profiles of mucosal immunity in pre-school children

This study investigated the effect of attending pre-school on mucosal immunity. Children 3.5 to 5 years of age who attended pre-school were observed for a 10 month period. Demographic information was collected on previous childcare experiences, the home environment and clinical information relating to the child and the family. A daily illness log was kept for each child. A multivariate longitudinal analysis of the relation between immunoglobulins in saliva and age, gender, childcare experience, pre-school exposure, number of siblings, environmental tobacco smoke (ETS), atopy and hospitalisation was conducted. There was a positive association of higher IgA levels with the winter season and with children being older than 4 years (P <.001), having attended childcare prior to commencing pre-school (P <.05), and having been exposed to ETS at home (P <.05). Lower IgA levels were associated with being atopic (P <.05). Higher IgG levels were associated with exposure to ETS (P <.001), while lower levels were associated to having atopy. Higher IgM levels were associated with previous childcare experience (P <.01) whilst having been hospitalised was associated with having low salivary IgM levels (P <.01). Lagged analyses demonstrated that immunological parameters were affected by the number of respiratory infections in the preceding 2 months. © 2010 Patricia Ewing et al