Analyses of the salivary and gut IgA microbiomes

Analysis of the IgA microbiome (IgA-Biome) provides a different perspective into the microbiota colonizing mucosal surfaces because it allows for identification of taxa targeted (and untargeted) by the host immune system. Since the gut is the largest immune organ, understanding what microorganisms are targeted by the immune system can identify those taxa most relevant to health and disease and aid in our understanding of how IgA helps in shaping the architecture of the mucosal microbiota. This approach can be applied to the analyses of mucosal microbiomes of individuals with diseases associated with chronic inflammation and gut dysbiosis (e.g., diabetes, Parkinson's disease, obesity, inflammatory bowel disease). The present study examined the IgA-Biomes of individuals with prediabetes and diabetes and compared them to those with normoglycemia. This approach identified significant differences across the IgA-Biomes of the stool and saliva suggesting that this approach can be successfully applied to understanding microbiota changes that accompany diabetes progression. Once specific taxa are identified for respective disease states, interventions designed to alter the makeup of mucosal sites can be developed.