A latitudinal gradient study of common anti-infectious agent antibody prevalence in Italy and Colombia.
BACKGROUND
Infectious agents are important in the pathogenesis of autoimmune disease since they are a major part of the environmental trigger of autoimmunity. A negative relationship between latitude and infectious disease species richness has been suggested.


OBJECTIVE
To examine whether their prevalence differs in two latitudinally different populations.


METHODS
The prevalence of infections with Toxoplasma gondii, rubella virus, cytomegalovirus, Epstein-Barr virus and Treponema pallidum was compared between subjects from Italy and Colombia.


RESULTS
We found high titers of antibodies against four of five microorganisms tested, Toxoplasma gondii (50.8%), rubella virus (German measles) (75%), cytomegalovirus (86.3%), Epstein-Barr virus (83.3%) and Treponema pallidum (6.3%) in completely healthy individuals from a tropical country (Colombia) and a European country (Italy). Differences between two groups of volunteers were noted regarding two infectious agents. The prevalence of immunoglobulin G anti-rubella antibodies was significantly higher among Italian subjects (85% vs. 67.9%, P = 0.002), whereas antibodies against CMV were less prevalent among Italian as compared to Colombian subjects (77% vs. 92.9%, P < 0.001).


CONCLUSIONS
These differences might also result in a different tendency towards development of autoimmune diseases associated with these infectious agents in different populations.
Pordeus
Vitor
V
Pro Cardiaco Hospital Research and Training Center-PROCEP, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
Barzilai
Ori
O
Sherer
Yaniv
Y
Luiz
Ronir Raggio
RR
Blank
Miri
M
Bizzaro
Nicola
N
Villalta
Danilo
D
Anaya
Juan-Manuel
JM
Shoenfeld
Yehuda
Y
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000818:Animals; D000906:Antibodies / Q000097:blood*; D003105:Colombia; D003587:Cytomegalovirus / Q000276:immunology; D005260:Female; D004854:Herpesvirus 4, Human / Q000276:immunology; D006801:Humans; D007074:Immunoglobulin G / Q000032:analysis; D007558:Italy; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012412:Rubella virus / Q000276:immunology; D014122:Toxoplasma / Q000276:immunology; D014210:Treponema pallidum / Q000276:immunology
D000906:Antibodies; D007074:Immunoglobulin G