Secretory IgA Antibodies to Enterobacterial Virulence Antigens: Their Induction and Possible Relevance

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Abstract
The existence of local antibody-mediated immunity has been known for several decades (1–4). Knowledge about the special properties of secretory IgA (s-IgA) antibodies has defined antibody-mediated local immunity as an entity different and separate from systemic antibody-mediated immunity (5–7). The induction and role of s-IgA antibodies to virulence antigens of microbes infecting various mucous surfaces is now being studied and elucidated. The finding of Craig and Cebra (8) that Peyer’s patch lymphocytes can repopulate the intestinal mucosa of irradiated animals with IgA producing cells suggested that such cells may migrate also to other submucosal sites. New information has recently been added in this field by investigations on the migration, “homing”, of IgA producing cells from the Peyer’s patches to various exocrine glands (9,10). This brief review deals with the relation between the homing mechanism and the appearance and possible role of s-IgA antibodies to enterobacterial antigens in milk, saliva, urine and bronchial secretion.