title: Organ-specific circulating heart autoantibodies in Chagas' cardiomyopathy: exploratory study.
abstract: Chagas' disease can evolve to a chronic phase with cardiomyopathy that may include autoimmune mechanisms, among others. Recently an organ-specific anti-heart muscle antibody was detected in idiopathic cardiomyopathy, using human heart muscle as antigen. We decide to standardize an indirect immunofluorescence assay using rat organs in order to evaluate frequency of organ-specific anti-heart antibodies in chagasic cardiomyopathy. We tested 18 patients with chagasic cardiomyopathy for serum organ-specific anti-heart muscle antibodies. Nine patients were positive for organ-specific anti-heart antibodies (positive in heart muscle but negative in tongue muscle) and one was positive for non-organ-specific anti-heart muscle antibodies (positive in both heart and tongue muscle). We conclude that organ-specific anti-heart muscle antibodies can be detected using rat organs as antigens. Organ-specific anti-heart muscle antibodies are present in patients with chagasic cardiomyopathy.
authors.affiliation: Departamento de Inmunología, Instituto Nacional de Cardiología Ignacio Chávez, Tialpan, Mexico.
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Nava
authors.forename: M E
authors.initials: ME
authors.lastname: González-Ortega
authors.forename: V
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Monteón
authors.forename: P A
authors.initials: PA
authors.lastname: Reyes
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000818:Animals; D001323:Autoantibodies / Q000276:immunology / Q000378:metabolism*; D002598:Chagas Cardiomyopathy / Q000276:immunology*; D005260:Female; D005455:Fluorescent Antibody Technique; D006801:Humans; D007106:Immune Sera / Q000276:immunology / Q000378:metabolism; D008099:Liver / Q000276:immunology / Q000378:metabolism; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009206:Myocardium / Q000276:immunology / Q000378:metabolism; D051381:Rats; D014059:Tongue / Q000276:immunology / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D001323:Autoantibodies; D007106:Immune Sera