I am a final year PhD immunologist studying the roles of
adhesion receptors and lymphocyte responses in inflammatory
diseases of the oral mucosae. I consider this to be a part of mucosal
immunology, yet the oral cavity is rarely mentioned in the same
context as the gut etc. and meetings regarding mucosal immunology
suffer from the same 'problem'. Is this due to fundamental
immunological differences, or is there a historical background
defining 'mucosal' immunology as primarily limited to the gut and
leaving the oral cavity hanging somewhere between skin and mucosa?
Best wishes,
Alun Kirby.
