title: HSV-IgA serum antibodies in cervical intraepithelial neoplasia and invasive cancer patients, and in their spouses: a case control study.
abstract: Class-specific IgG and IgA antibodies to HSV were assayed in women with CIN (76), invasive cancer (52) (histological diagnosis) and age-matched controls (119), employing HSV-2-infected HEp-2 cells as antigen during IFA assay. We observed an elevated geometric mean titre (GMT) of serum antibody (IgG five-to eight-fold and IgA four-to five-fold) for the entire spectrum of cervical lesions, as compared to controls. The odds of finding HSV-IgA antibodies were highest with CIN III (OR = 22.0), followed by invasive carcinoma, and CIN I & II (OR = 9.5 and 5.2), respectively. Furthermore, the investigations with respect to married couples (husbands and wives) who volunteered to participate in this study (33 cases and 47 control group) also indicated relatively high antibody titres and increased frequency of HSV sero positivity amongst husbands of cases as compared to their wives, as well as the control group males and females. The contribution of HSV infection in women and/or their husbands to the risk of developing abnormal cervical lesions was analysed after adjusting for the same in respective counterparts. It was observed that the risk was increased 14-fold with HSV-IgA positivity of women, and that HSV-IgA positivity of husbands (male partners) further increased the risk 16-fold. This preliminary observation shows the importance of serum HSV-IgA antibodies as a risk indicator in cervical precancer and cancer lesions in women without a history of recent genital herpes lesions. The serum HSV-IgA may also be taken as an indicator of "high risk" males.
authors.affiliation: Division of Immunology and Virology, Institute of Cytology and Preventive Oncology (ICMR), Maulana Azad Medical College Campus, New Delhi, India.
authors.forename: M M
authors.initials: MM
authors.lastname: Gupta
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Jain
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Parashari
authors.forename: V
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Singh
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Satyanarayana
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000914:Antibodies, Viral / Q000097:blood; D002278:Carcinoma in Situ / Q000209:etiology* / Q000276:immunology; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D005260:Female; D006558:Herpes Genitalis / Q000150:complications* / Q000276:immunology; D006801:Humans; D007070:Immunoglobulin A / Q000097:blood*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009361:Neoplasm Invasiveness; D012306:Risk; D018139:Simplexvirus / Q000276:immunology*; D002583:Uterine Cervical Neoplasms / Q000209:etiology* / Q000276:immunology
chemical_list: D000914:Antibodies, Viral; D007070:Immunoglobulin A