Models to follow secretory IgA response to mucosal infections.

The secretory IgA system lies at the portal of entry for mucosal pathogens. To study the effects of secretory IgA, many models of local immune responses to infectious diseases have been developed in the past 2 decades. They have indicated that secretory IgA is elicited to mucosal microbial pathogens and that such immunity may be protective in some circumstances. The challenge of the next decade will be to optimize the mucosal memory responses with safe vaccines and to determine the functional significance of the secretory IgA response with respect to disease prevention.