TONSILS--INDUCTION SITE FOR ORAL IMMUNITY

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This study hypothesizes that removal of tonsils will alter the level and specificity of IgA in salivary gland secretions. Specific Aim 1 will be a cross-sectional study to determine the differences in IgA responses in saliva of human subjects with and without tonsils. Specific Aim 2 will be a longitudinal study in which changes in salivary and serum IgA levels will be examined prospectively in a group of children prior to and following tonsillectomies. Specific Aim 3 will attempt to relate the quality and specificity of IgA antibody secreting cells in the tonsils removed from the children as they relate to salivary antibodies in these same individuals. The significance of the proposal is to provide a better understanding of the importance of the tonsils in salivary responses and potentially provide methods for new approaches to local immunization for immune responses in the oral cavity.