Publications by authors named "W B Schofield"
Immunoglobulin A (IgA) is an important factor in maintaining homeostasis at mucosal surfaces, yet luminal IgA levels vary widely. Total IgA levels are thought to be driven by individual immune responses to specific microbes. Here, we found that the prebiotic, pectin oligosaccharide (pec-oligo), induced high IgA levels in the small intestine in a T cell-dependent manner.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThe objective of this study was to investigate the presence of equine coronavirus (ECoV) in clinical samples submitted to a diagnostic laboratory in Ireland. A total of 424 clinical samples were examined from equids with enteric disease in 24 Irish counties between 2011 and 2015. A real-time reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction was used to detect ECoV RNA.
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- Immunoglobulin A (IgA) is a key antibody in our mucosal secretions, helping keep the balance with bacteria in our bodies, especially in mice.
- In humans with selective IgA deficiency (sIgAd), they found that even though another antibody, IgM, can step in, it doesn't work as well as IgA to maintain a healthy gut bacteria mix.
- The study showed that people with sIgAd had less variety and different types of bacteria in their guts compared to healthy people, highlighting the important role of IgA in gut health.
Article Synopsis
- Secretory antibody immunoglobulin A (IgA) helps protect our body by fighting off germs at places like our mouth and gut.
- New research shows that IgA not only helps against bad germs but also keeps good bacteria in our intestines strong.
- This means that IgA can help our body resist getting sick from new germs in the future.
Human gut use surface-exposed lipoproteins to bind and metabolize complex polysaccharides. Although vitamins and other nutrients are also essential for commensal fitness, much less is known about how commensal bacteria compete with each other or the host for these critical resources. Unlike in , transport loci for vitamin B (cobalamin) and other corrinoids in human gut are replete with conserved genes encoding proteins whose functions are unknown.
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