Lack of correlation between infection with reovirus 3 and extrahepatic biliary atresia or neonatal hepatitis.
Infection with reovirus 3 (Reo-3) has been suggested as the cause of extrahepatic biliary atresia and idiopathic neonatal hepatitis, but confirmation has been lacking. Therefore we have searched for a specific anti-Reo-3 antibody response in the sera of patients with biliary atresia or neonatal hepatitis and for Reo-3 antigens in their hepatobiliary tissues. Sera from 23 infants with extrahepatic biliary atresia, 12 with neonatal hepatitis, 30 age-matched control patients with other liver diseases, and 55 control patients without liver disease were tested by an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay for total (IgA, IgG, and IgM) anti-Reo-3 antibodies; sera of infants younger than 6 months of age were tested also for IgM anti-Reo-3 antibodies alone. There was no difference between either total or IgM anti-Reo-3 antibody levels in infants with extrahepatic biliary atresia or neonatal hepatitis and levels in control infants. Reo-3 antigens were not detected in the hepatobiliary tissues of 19 infants (18 with biliary atresia, one with neonatal hepatitis) by an immunoperoxidase method that readily demonstrated Reo-3 in control infected HEp-G2 cells. Our data do not support a relationship between neonatal liver diseases and infection with Reo-3.
Brown
W R
WR
Gastroenterology Section, Veterans Administration Medical Center, Denver, CO 80220.
Sokol
R J
RJ
Levin
M J
MJ
Silverman
A
A
Tamaru
T
T
Lilly
J R
JR
Hall
R J
RJ
Cheney
M
M
D000956:Antigens, Viral / Q000032:analysis*; D001656:Biliary Atresia / Q000209:etiology*; D004797:Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay; D005260:Female; D006505:Hepatitis / Q000209:etiology* / Q000276:immunology; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D008099:Liver / Q000032:analysis / Q000276:immunology; D008297:Male; D012089:Mammalian orthoreovirus 3 / Q000276:immunology*; D012087:Reoviridae / Q000276:immunology*; D012088:Reoviridae Infections / Q000150:complications* / Q000276:immunology
D000956:Antigens, Viral