2014 Volume 18 Issue 3 Pages 265-273
Purpose: We examined the association of a concentration of saliva protein (secretory immunoglobulin A: sIgA; lactoferrin: LF; epidermal growth factor: EGF) with age, Streptococcus pneumoniae carrying germs and pneumococcus vaccination.
Method (s): The subjects were normal adults in their thirties to fifties and local community elderly. We gathered unstimulated saliva after the measurement mucosa wettability in the tongue and buccal mucosa, and measured the sIgA, LF and EGF concentrations by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). The quantity of Streptococcus pneumoniae DNA was measured by real-time polymerase chain reaction (real-time PCR).
Subjects were classified by an age factor (adult group, older adult group, old-old group), a pneumococcus vaccination factor (non-inoculation group, inoculation group), a Streptococcus pneumoniae factor (non-carrying group, carrying group), and compared the relationship with the saliva protein statistically.
Result (s): The subjects were 63 people in the adult group (mean age±SD: 46.0±7.5), 130 people in the older adult group (mean age±SD: 69.9±2.4) and 141 people in the old-old group (mean age±SD: 80.0±4.2). Streptococcus pneumoniae bacteria carriers included 35 people in the adult group (55.6%), 61 people in the older adult group (46.9%), and 46 people in the old-old group (32.6%). The concentrations of sIgA, LF were significantly higher in the old-old group than the adult and older adult groups. And the concentration of EGF was significantly higher in the older adult and old-old groups than the adult group. We compared with a pneumococcus vaccination factor, but there was no difference according to the sIgA concentration. As for non-carrying and carrying group, non-carrying were higher than those carrying in LF, and EGF concentration (p＜0.05, p＜0.01).
Conclusion: The adult group had the highest Streptococcus pneumoniae carrying germ ratio. As for the concentrations of sIgA, LF, EGF, a rise by the aging was suggested. The non-carrying group was higher than the carrying group in the LF, EGF concentrations. It was suggested that the pneumococcus vaccination does not affect the sIgA concentration and the Streptococcus pneumoniae carrying germs.
