NO APPARENT INFLUENCE OF IMMUNOGLOBULINS ON INDIGENOUS ORAL AND INTESTINAL MICROBIOTA OF MICE

The role of secretory immunoglobulin A (sIgA) in the control of the in digenous microbiota is not well understood. In this study, we compared the oral and intestinal microbiota of transgenic B cell-deficient (mu MT) mice with their heterozygous (mu MT/+) normal littermates. The le vels of salivary IgA and serum IgA and IgG were normal in mu MT/+ mice , while no immunoglobulins were detected in mu MT/mu MT mice. The acqu isition and proportions of the different species of the oral and intes tinal indigenous bacterial populations were not significantly differen t between the two groups of mice. Our results thus suggest that secret ory IgA does not play a major role in the regulation of the indigenous microbiota of mice.