title: IgA class antibody against human jejunum in sera of children with dermatitis herpetiformis.
abstract: Sera of 44 children with dermatitis herpetiformis with granular IgA deposits in the papillary dermis were investigated on cryostat sections of normal jejunum of three children aged 2 months, 1 year, and 10 years by indirect immunofluorescence. Eighteen of 25 patients on a normal diet had an IgA class antibody showing the following staining patterns on substrate jejunums: tubular positivity in the lamina propria--around the crypts, beneath the villous epithelial basement membrane, and in some instances in the middle of the villous also, following the capillary system of villi; coalescence of tubular positivity at the muscularis mucosae; and positive blood vessels and smooth muscle endomysium. Eleven of 18 children with positive sera were put on a gluten-free diet (GFD) and their sera became negative. One of these 11 patients was challenged with gluten and the antibody reappeared. Nineteen patients examined only on a GFD and 30 healthy blood donors did not have this antibody. There was no strict correlation between the titer of antibody and the severity of jejunal mucosal damage.
mesh_terms: D000888:Antibodies, Anti-Idiotypic / Q000032:analysis / Q000276:immunology*; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D003874:Dermatitis Herpetiformis / Q000276:immunology*; D004032:Diet; D005260:Female; D005455:Fluorescent Antibody Technique; D005983:Glutens / Q000494:pharmacology; D006801:Humans; D007070:Immunoglobulin A / Q000276:immunology*; D007223:Infant; D007583:Jejunum / Q000276:immunology*; D008297:Male
chemical_list: D000888:Antibodies, Anti-Idiotypic; D007070:Immunoglobulin A; D005983:Glutens