title: Specific liver autoreactivity in schistosomiasis mansoni.
abstract: To investigate the possible involvement of autoimmune mechanisms in the development of hepatosplenic schistosomiasis (HSS), 234 patients with chronic Schistosoma mansoni infections were screened for a wide range of non-organ-specific autoantibodies as well as for antibodies reacting with the GOR peptide and with a liver-specific autoantigen, the hepatic asialoglycoprotein receptor (ASGP-R). Thirty-five (15.0%) were seropositive for antinuclear, smooth muscle or gastric parietal cell antibodies at low titres (< or = 1:80), and 15/176 (8.5%) had anti-GOR, all of whom had concomitant hepatitis C viral (HCV) infections. Anti-ASGP-R was found in 64 (27.4%) of the 234 patients at titres similar to those found in 18 untreated auto-immune hepatitis patients studied concurrently. Anti-ASGP-R seropositivity occurred significantly (P < 0.005) more frequently in patients with HSS (62/190, 32.6%) than in those with hepatointestinal schistosomiasis (2/44, 4.5%), but did not correlate with severity of liver disease or with the presence of the non-organ-specific autoantibodies. Anti-ASGP-R was found significantly (P < < 0.0005) less frequently in HSS patients who had had a splenectomy for portal hypertension (5/86, 5.8%) than in those who had not had a splenectomy (57/104, 54.8%). The findings suggest that liver-specific autoreactivity may play a role in the development of HSS.
authors.affiliation: Institute of Liver Studies, King's Colleges Hospital, London, UK.
authors.forename: L M
authors.initials: LM
authors.lastname: Pereira
authors.forename: B M
authors.initials: BM
authors.lastname: McFarlane
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Massarolo
authors.forename: M G
authors.initials: MG
authors.lastname: Saleh
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Bridger
authors.forename: V
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Spinelli
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Mies
authors.forename: I G
authors.initials: IG
authors.lastname: McFarlane
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000974:Antibodies, Antinuclear / Q000032:analysis; D000918:Antibody Specificity; D037263:Asialoglycoprotein Receptor; D001212:Asialoglycoproteins / Q000276:immunology; D001323:Autoantibodies / Q000032:analysis*; D002648:Child; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007074:Immunoglobulin G / Q000032:analysis; D007411:Intestinal Diseases, Parasitic / Q000276:immunology; D008109:Liver Diseases, Parasitic / Q000276:immunology*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009130:Muscle, Smooth / Q000276:immunology; D010295:Parietal Cells, Gastric / Q000276:immunology; D011956:Receptors, Cell Surface / Q000276:immunology; D012555:Schistosomiasis mansoni / Q000150:complications / Q000276:immunology*; D013158:Splenic Diseases / Q000209:etiology
chemical_list: D000974:Antibodies, Antinuclear; D037263:Asialoglycoprotein Receptor; D001212:Asialoglycoproteins; D001323:Autoantibodies; D007074:Immunoglobulin G; D011956:Receptors, Cell Surface