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Absence of mucosal immunity in the human upper respiratory tract to the commensal bacteria Neisseria lactamica but not pathogenic Neisseria meningitidis during the peak age of nasopharyngeal carriage

Vaughan, Andrew T.; Heyderman, Robert S.; Gorringe, Andrew; Davenport, Victoria; Williams, Neil A.

Authors

Andrew T. Vaughan

Robert S. Heyderman

Andrew Gorringe

Victoria Davenport Victoria.Davenport@uwe.ac.uk
Associate Director (Biological & Biomedical Science)

Neil A. Williams



Abstract

The normal flora that colonizes the mucosal epithelia has evolved diverse strategies to evade, modulate, or suppress the immune system and avoid clearance. Neisseria lactamica and Neisseria meningitidis are closely related obligate inhabitants of the human upper respiratory tract. N. lactamica is a commensal but N. meningitidis is an opportunistic pathogen that occasionally causes invasive disease such as meningitis and septicemia. We demonstrate that unlike N. meningitidis, N. lactamica does not prime the development of mucosal T or B cell memory during the peak period of colonization. This cannot be explained by the induction of peripheral tolerance or regulatory CD4 +CD25 + T cell activity. Instead, N. lactamica mediates a B cell-dependent mitogenic proliferative response that is absent to N. meningitidis. This mitogenic response is associated with the production of T cell-independent polyclonal IgM that we propose functions by shielding colonizing N. lactamica from the adaptive immune system, maintaining immunological ignorance in the host. We conclude that, in contrast to N. meningitidis, N. lactamica maintains a commensal relationship with the host in the absence of an adaptive immune response. This may prolong the period of susceptibility to colonization by both pathogenic and nonpathogenic Neisseria species. Copyright © 2009 by The American Association of Immunologists, Inc.

Citation

Heyderman, R. S., Vaughan, A. T., Gorringe, A., Davenport, V., & Williams, N. A. (2009). Absence of mucosal immunity in the human upper respiratory tract to the commensal bacteria Neisseria lactamica but not pathogenic Neisseria meningitidis during the peak age of nasopharyngeal carriage. Journal of Immunology, 182(4), 2231-2240. https://doi.org/10.4049/jimmunol.0802531

Journal Article Type Article
Publication Date Feb 15, 2009
Journal Journal of Immunology
Print ISSN 0022-1767
Electronic ISSN 1550-6606
Publisher American Association of Immunologists
Peer Reviewed Peer Reviewed
Volume 182
Issue 4
Pages 2231-2240
DOI https://doi.org/10.4049/jimmunol.0802531
Public URL https://uwe-repository.worktribe.com/output/998708
Publisher URL http://dx.doi.org/10.4049/jimmunol.0802531