Mucosal Immune Reactivity Screen

Last week I wrote a post about a laboratory test for infections and auto-immunity that I like by a lab called Cyrex. This week I’m going to highlight another one of their tests – the Mucosal Immune Reactivity Screen. It helps to evaluate what stressors are at work in the body culminating in triggering of immune reactivity in the gut lining and the mucosal barrier.

Our mucosal barrier is one of the first points of defense in the body. Reaching from the mouth all the way through the digestive system to the anus, the mucosa provides protection, both physically and with immune response, from outside invaders. The mucosal membrane contains a whole immune system within itself – antibodies include IgG, IgM and IgA, with IgA being the dominant immune cell.

The Mucosal Immune Reactivity Screen includes a wide range of antigens, including:

Lipopolysaccarides; occulin/zonulin; actomyosin; ASCA-ANCA; calprotectin; native + deamidated Alpha-Gliadin-33-mer; gamma-gliadin-15-mer; glutenin-21-mer; gluteomorphin; wheat germ agglutinin; transglutaminase-2; egg; soy; corn; alpha-casein and beta-casein; casomorphin; aflatoxin; bisphenol-A; mercury; mixed heavy metals; rotavirus; myelin basic protein; blood-brain barrier protein; immune complex.

The test combines IgM and IgA antibodies.

What I like about this test is that it screens for a wide array of issues – everything from auto-immune gluten issues (anti-gliadin and transglutaminase), to sensitivities to dairy, egg, soy and corn; to mycotoxins, heavy metals and viruses. It also looks at zonulin, a substance that can increase the permeability of both the gut lining and the blood-brain barrier.

I also like that this is a saliva test, so it would be a good one to run in children on the autism spectrum, to try to hone in on what stressors are influencing not only their digestive function, but their neurological function as well. Blood draws can be really stressful for the kiddos, so I love tests that allow us to avoid that.

With a current price of $339, I feel like it’s a good value test that could potentially provide a lot of valuable information, helping us to decipher where the points of stress are on the body.