title: Antibodies to tubulin in patients with parasitic infections.
abstract: Sera from a total of 268 patients with protozoan, helminth, bacterial (leprosy and tuberculosis) infections or appropriate controls, were assayed for anti-tubulin antibodies in an indirect enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA), using purified tubulin as antigen. Levels of serum anti-tubulin antibody were significantly elevated in 67% of patients with visceral leishmaniasis, in 60% of patients with cutaneous leishmaniasis, in 89% of patients with onchocerciasis, in 100% of patients with schistosomiasis, and in 94% of patients with leprosy. Little or no increase in anti-tubulin antibody levels was seen in sera from patients with malaria (Plasmodium vivax) or tuberculosis.
mesh_terms: D001323:Autoantibodies / Q000032:analysis*; D006801:Humans; D007896:Leishmaniasis / Q000276:immunology; D007918:Leprosy / Q000276:immunology; D008288:Malaria / Q000276:immunology; D008297:Male; D009855:Onchocerciasis / Q000276:immunology; D010272:Parasitic Diseases / Q000276:immunology*; D012555:Schistosomiasis mansoni / Q000276:immunology; D014352:Trypanosomiasis / Q000276:immunology; D014376:Tuberculosis / Q000276:immunology; D014404:Tubulin / Q000276:immunology*
chemical_list: D001323:Autoantibodies; D014404:Tubulin