Correlates of Mucosal Immunity and Upper Respiratory Tract Infections in Girls

Abstract

In this study we examined whether salivary hormones, physical activity and adiposity were correlated with secretory immunoglobulin A (sIgA) and frequency of upper respiratory tract infections (URTI) in 43 early-pubertal and 59 late-pubertal girls. Physical activity was measured using accelerometers and relative body fat was assessed using bioelectrical impendence. Resting saliva samples were obtained between 1500 and 1800hr and assayed for sIgA, cortisol and testosterone. Participants completed a onemonth health log to record URTI frequency. Early-pubertal girls were more physically active, had less adiposity, but lower concentrations of sIgA than late-pubertal adolescents (122.7±91.6 vs 201.9±102.9 pg/ml, respectively). The frequency of URTI was similar in the two groups. Neither sIgA nor URTI were correlated with salivary hormones, physical activity or adiposity within the earlypubertal girls. In the late-pubertal group, sIgA was negatively associated (r=-0.44; p≤0.05) with cortisol, and positively associated (r=0.41; p≤0.05) with the testosterone to cortisol ratio. These results suggest that mucosal immunity increases with pubertal maturation, while higher cortisol is associated with lower mucosal immunity in adolescents.

Markers of Biological Stress and Mucosal Immunity during a Week Leading to Competition in Adolescent Swimmers

“…The frequency of URTI during each week was determined using a daily health log as previously described [17, 18]. URTIs were recorded in order to (a) identify those swimmers who may have high levels of sIgA due to a potential URTI, and (b) examine if stress correlates with URTIs independently of sIgA.…”

“…The parents and/or participants were asked to return the health log once completed. The total number of days per week with URTI symptoms was then tallied for each participant, with days being counted only if two or more consecutive days of cold or flu symptoms were reported [17, 18]. …”

The Association of Physical Activity and Sedentary Behaviors with Upper Respiratory Tract Infections and Sleep Duration in Preschool Children—Study Protocol

“…It is currently under debate what intrinsic and/or extrinsic environmental factors moderate immunity in children or adults, subsequently influencing the frequency of URTI [23]. Thus far, a few studies have been published regarding the relationship between the level of PA and the frequency of recurrent infections of the respiratory system in children.…”

“…Nevertheless, only a few studies have heretofore been published that address this relationship within the pediatric population. Data on study groups including children between seven and 14 years of age [20,21,22,23] did not necessarily support a clear conclusion that PA actually mitigates recurrent respiratory infections. Canadian mechanistic research indicated that children, who spent more time on sport activities and aerobic fitness activities, reported fewer “sick” leaves [20].…”

Ontogeny of Mucosal Immunity and Aging

“…The lower levels of salivary IgA following chronic stress have also been associated with an increased incidence of upper respiratory illness (Jemmott and McClelland, 1989), consistent with the exercise-induced stress of long-term training in elite athletes (Walsh et al, 2011). A study of early pubertal (age 8-11 years) and early adolescent girls (age 14-16 years) looked for correlations between salivary cortisol, physical activity, and adiposity and upper respiratory tract infections and salivary S-IgA (Corbett et al, 2010). Higher concentrations of salivary cortisol were associated with lower salivary S-IgA levels only in the early adolescent girls.…”