Serum and urine Helicobacter pylori antibody titer after intravenous gamma-globulin treatment for Kawasaki disease and its clearance.
BACKGROUND
It is not clear the effect of gamma-globulin therapy on results of enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays (ELISA) based on serum and urine for detection of Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) antibodies, although the therapy can cause false-positive results in those assays.


METHODS
To examine the effect of intravenous gamma-globulin (IVIG) treatment on the results of ELISA based on serum and urine, levels of H. pylori IgG were measured in the serum and urine before and after IVIG therapy in 18 children with Kawasaki disease (KD) uninfected with H. pylori.


RESULTS
The serum and urine H. pylori IgG levels decreased time-dependently after the IVIG therapy and there were significant differences (P < 0.01) in the levels prior to therapy and at 7 days and 1 month after the therapy. The significant difference in the H. pylori IgG levels prior to therapy and 3 months after the therapy was observed in the serum but not in the urine.


CONCLUSIONS
The results suggest that gamma-globulin administration can cause false-positive results in ELISA based both on serum and urine for detection of H. pylori antibodies, and that the H. pylori antibodies cleared much more quickly from the urine than from the serum.
Shimizu
Toshiaki
T
Department of Pediatrics, Juntendo University School of Medicine, Tokyo 113-0033, Japan. tsimizut@aol.com
Yarita
Yukiko
Y
Suzuki
Mitsuyoshi
M
Takahashi
Ken
K
Ohtsuka
Yoshikazu
Y
Nagata
Satoru
S
Obinata
Kaoru
K
Yamashiro
Yuichiro
Y
D000907:Antibodies, Bacterial / Q000032:analysis* / Q000097:blood / Q000652:urine; D002648:Child; D004797:Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay; D005260:Female; D016480:Helicobacter pylori / Q000276:immunology*; D006801:Humans; D007074:Immunoglobulin G / Q000097:blood / Q000652:urine; D016756:Immunoglobulins, Intravenous / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D007223:Infant; D008297:Male; D009080:Mucocutaneous Lymph Node Syndrome / Q000628:therapy*
D000907:Antibodies, Bacterial; D007074:Immunoglobulin G; D016756:Immunoglobulins, Intravenous