Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Jacobs School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, University at Buffalo, Buffalo, NY, United States.
Department of Microbiology, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, AL, United States.
Front Immunol. 2020 Nov 30;11:611337. doi: 10.3389/fimmu.2020.611337. eCollection 2020.
The mucosal immune system is the largest component of the entire immune system, having evolved to provide protection at the main sites of infectious threat: the mucosae. As SARS-CoV-2 initially infects the upper respiratory tract, its first interactions with the immune system must occur predominantly at the respiratory mucosal surfaces, during both inductive and effector phases of the response. However, almost all studies of the immune response in COVID-19 have focused exclusively on serum antibodies and systemic cell-mediated immunity including innate responses. This article proposes that there is a significant role for mucosal immunity and for secretory as well as circulating IgA antibodies in COVID-19, and that it is important to elucidate this in order to comprehend especially the asymptomatic and mild states of the infection, which appear to account for the majority of cases. Moreover, it is possible that mucosal immunity can be exploited for beneficial diagnostic, therapeutic, or prophylactic purposes.
黏膜免疫系统是整个免疫系统中最大的组成部分，它的进化是为了在感染威胁的主要部位（即黏膜）提供保护。由于 SARS-CoV-2 最初感染上呼吸道，因此其与免疫系统的最初相互作用必须主要发生在呼吸道黏膜表面，无论是在反应的诱导期还是效应期。然而，几乎所有关于 COVID-19 免疫反应的研究都仅专注于血清抗体和全身性细胞介导免疫，包括先天免疫反应。本文提出，黏膜免疫以及分泌型和循环型 IgA 抗体在 COVID-19 中具有重要作用，阐明这一点对于理解感染的无症状和轻症状态非常重要，因为这些状态似乎占大多数病例。此外，黏膜免疫可能可用于有益的诊断、治疗或预防目的。
