title: Prevalence of antibodies against HEp-2 cell antigen in infants and children hospitalized with respiratory syncytial virus infection.
abstract: Infants with respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) infection were shown to have antibodies against HEp-2 cell antigen present in RSV-antigen preparation used for immunoblot analysis. The prevalence of anti HEp-2 cell antibodies was examined in infants hospitalized for RSV infection (n = 49, median age 121 days) compared to rotavirus infected children (n = 30, median age 114 days) and to healthy controls (n = 20, median age 150 days). The immunoblot analysis with RSV-infected and non-infected HEp-2 cells as antigen revealed the expected age-dependent low prevalence of G protein antibodies and clear seroconversion of N and P protein antibodies. HEp-2 antibody prevalence was higher in RSV antigen-positive infants (33/49) than in rotavirus antigen-positive (5/30) and RSV antigen-negative infants (4/20), respectively (p < 0.001). Anti HEp-2 antibodies were mostly directed against 47, 46, 33, 30 kD antigens. A multiple regression analysis found the following correlations (odds ratio; 95% confidence interval): 42 kD RSV antibodies (N protein) with pneumonia (7.58; 1.43-40), 94 kD RSV antibodies (G protein) with bronchiolitis (0.064; 0.006-0.686). This study shows repeated well-known features of humoral immunity in RSV infection. The data on anti HEp-2 antibodies point to a role for these pre-existing autoreactive antibodies in the pathogenesis of RSV infection.
authors.affiliation: Universtitäts-Kinderklinik, Albert-Ludwigs-Universität, Freiburg, Germany.
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Forster
authors.forename: O
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Maier
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Löbbert
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Kaufmehl
authors.forename: H J
authors.initials: HJ
authors.lastname: Streckert
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Werchau
mesh_terms: D000208:Acute Disease; D000914:Antibodies, Viral / Q000097:blood*; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D003289:Convalescence; D015707:HN Protein; D006760:Hospitalization; D006801:Humans; D015151:Immunoblotting; D007070:Immunoglobulin A / Q000097:blood*; D007074:Immunoglobulin G / Q000097:blood*; D007223:Infant; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D016017:Odds Ratio; D015995:Prevalence; D012044:Regression Analysis; D018357:Respiratory Syncytial Virus Infections / Q000276:immunology*; D018113:Respiratory Syncytial Virus, Human / Q000276:immunology*; D012400:Rotavirus Infections / Q000276:immunology; D014759:Viral Envelope Proteins; D014764:Viral Proteins / Q000276:immunology*
chemical_list: D000914:Antibodies, Viral; D015707:HN Protein; D007070:Immunoglobulin A; D007074:Immunoglobulin G; D014759:Viral Envelope Proteins; D014764:Viral Proteins; C116204:attachment protein G