Mucosal IgA and URTI in American College Football Players: A Year Longitudinal Study
- 1 March 2005
- journal article
- clinical trial
- Published by Ovid Technologies (Wolters Kluwer Health) in Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise
- Vol. 37 (3), 374-380
- https://doi.org/10.1249/01.mss.0000155432.67020.88
Abstract
The purpose of this study was: (a) to evaluate secretory immunoglobulin A (s-IgA) over a 12-month time period in college football players, and (b) to assess which of the commonly used standard methods of reporting s-IgA, either alone or in combination, serves as the best predictor of incidence of upper respiratory tract infection (URTI). One hundred college-aged males (75 varsity college football athletes, 25 nonfootball controls) were studied at eight points over a 12-month period. Resting mucosal IgA, protein and osmolality levels were determined from saliva using established procedures. In addition, incidence of URTI over the 12-month study duration was calculated from completed standard research logs. Repeated-measures ANOVA were conducted on the dependent variables and eight separate stepwise multiple regression analyses were conducted to predict the dependent variable “number of colds” by the independent variables, s-IgA, saliva flow rate, secretion rate of s-IgA, protein, s-IgA:protein, osmolality and s-IgA:osmolality at each data collection point. There was a significant main effect for group, time, and the group × time interaction for s-IgA, the secretion rate of s-IgA, and the number of colds. In the regression model, the only variable that made a significant contribution to the variance at all time points was the secretion rate of s-IgA. These findings suggest that a season of training in American football results in a significant decrease in both s-IgA and the secretion rate of s-IgA as well as an increase in the incidence of URTI. Among the various methods commonly employed to express s- IgA levels, the secretion rate of s-IgA may be the most useful clinical biomarker to predict the incidence of URTI.This publication has 24 references indexed in Scilit:
- Mucosal IgA Response to Repeated Wingate Tests in FemalesInternational Journal of Sports Medicine, 2001
- Mucosal Immunity and Respiratory Illness in Elite AthletesInternational Journal of Sports Medicine, 2000
- Immune Status and Respiratory Illness for Elite Swimmers During a 12-Week Training CycleInternational Journal of Sports Medicine, 2000
- Regional specialization in the mucosal immune system: what happens in the microcompartments?Immunology Today, 1999
- The Effect of Exercising to Exhaustion at Different Intensities on Saliva Immunoglobulin A, Protein and Electrolyte SecretionInternational Journal of Sports Medicine, 1998
- Immunological Status of Competitive Football Players During the Training SeasonInternational Journal of Sports Medicine, 1998
- Immune Functions and Immunopathology of the Mucosa of the Upper Respiratory Pathways: Paper by invitationActa Oto-Laryngologica, 1996
- The effect on immunity of long-term intensive training in elite swimmersClinical and Experimental Immunology, 1995
- 190 NATURAL CELL-MEDIATED CYTOTOXICITY AND LYMPHOCYTE PROLIFERATION FOLLOWING A 24 HOUR ROAD RACEMedicine & Science in Sports & Exercise, 1994
- A short questionnaire for the measurement of habitual physical activity in epidemiological studiesThe American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, 1982