Tissue transglutaminase autoantibody detection in human saliva: a powerful method for celiac disease screening.
OBJECTIVE
To test the possibility of detecting tissue transglutaminase autoantibodies (tTG-Abs) in saliva with a novel sensitive fluid-phase radioimmunoassay (RIA).


METHODS
Paired saliva and serum samples from 39 patients with celiac disease (CD), at the first biopsy (Group 1: 28 females, mean age 11.5 +/- 11.1 years); 32 controls with a normal duodenal mucosa (Group 2: 18 females, mean age 8.1 +/- 3.6 years); and 32 healthy volunteers (Group 3: 21 females, mean age 31.7 +/- 9.8 years) were studied for tTG-Ab presence. Limit of positivity for salivary assay was calculated according to the 99th percentiles of Group 2 control children and was expressed as an autoantibody (Ab) index.


RESULTS
Salivary tTG-Abs were found in 97.4% of the patients with CD and in 100% of the corresponding serum samples. All Group 3 subjects were negative with both saliva and serum assays. A correlation between saliva and serum tTG-Ab titers was found (r=0.826, P=.0014).


CONCLUSIONS
This study demonstrates that it is possible to detect salivary tTG-Abs in CD with a non-invasive, simple to perform, reproducible and sensitive method.
Bonamico
Margherita
M
Institute of Paediatrics and Department of Clinical Science, University of Rome La Sapienza, Italy. margherita.bonamico@uniroma1.it
Ferri
Mirella
M
Nenna
Raffaella
R
Verrienti
Antonella
A
Di Mario
Umberto
U
Tiberti
Claudio
C
D001323:Autoantibodies / Q000378:metabolism*; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D002446:Celiac Disease / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000276:immunology / Q000517:prevention & control; D002648:Child; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D008297:Male; D008403:Mass Screening / Q000379:methods; D011863:Radioimmunoassay / Q000379:methods; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D012463:Saliva / Q000378:metabolism; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity; D018709:Statistics, Nonparametric; D011503:Transglutaminases / Q000276:immunology*
D001323:Autoantibodies; D011503:Transglutaminases