title: A latitudinal gradient study of common anti-infectious agent antibody prevalence in Italy and Colombia.
abstract: 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.
authors.affiliation: Pro Cardiaco Hospital Research and Training Center-PROCEP, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
authors.forename: Vitor
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Pordeus
authors.forename: Ori
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Barzilai
authors.forename: Yaniv
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Sherer
authors.forename: Ronir Raggio
authors.initials: RR
authors.lastname: Luiz
authors.forename: Miri
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Blank
authors.forename: Nicola
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Bizzaro
authors.forename: Danilo
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Villalta
authors.forename: Juan-Manuel
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Anaya
authors.forename: Yehuda
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Shoenfeld
mesh_terms: 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
chemical_list: D000906:Antibodies; D007074:Immunoglobulin G