2134/16789 Michael Gleeson Michael Gleeson Nicolette Bishop Nicolette Bishop URI in athletes: are mucosal immunity and cytokine responses key risk factors? Loughborough University 2015 Upper respiratory tract infection Mucosal immunity Immunoglobulin A Cytokines Lymphocytes Athletes Exercise Mechanical Engineering Medical and Health Sciences not elsewhere classified 2015-02-23 16:24:11 Journal contribution https://repository.lboro.ac.uk/articles/journal_contribution/URI_in_athletes_are_mucosal_immunity_and_cytokine_responses_key_risk_factors_/9613562 Infection incidence among athletes is highest during periods of intensified training and competition and after strenuous long-distance events. Which aspects of depressed immune function are responsible for this increased infection risk are not known, but our hypothesis is that lower salivary immunoglobulin A (IgA) secretion and a higher antiinflammatory cytokine response to antigen exposure are key determinants of infection risk.