title: Assessing inflammatory bowel disease-associated antibodies in Caucasian and First Nations cohorts.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  First Nation populations in Canada have a very low incidence of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). Based on typical infections in this population, it is plausible that the First Nations react differently to microbial antigens with a different antibody response pattern, which may shed some light as to why they experience a low rate of IBD.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  To compare the positivity rates of antibodies known to be associated with IBD in Canadian First Nations compared with a Canadian Caucasian population.
  
  
  METHODS
  Subjects with Crohn's disease, ulcerative colitis (UC), rheumatoid arthritis (RA) (as an immune disease control) and healthy controls without a personal or family history of chronic immune diseases, were enrolled in a cohort study aimed to determine differences between First Nations and Caucasians with IBD or RA. Serum from a random sample of these subjects (n=50 for each of First Nations with RA, First Nations controls, Caucasians with RA, Caucasians with Crohn's disease, Caucasians with UC and Caucasians controls, and as many First Nations with either Crohn's disease or UC as could be enrolled) was analyzed in the laboratory for the following antibodies: perinuclear antineutrophil cytoplasmic antibody (pANCA), and four Crohn's disease-associated antibodies including anti-Saccharomyces cerevisiae, the outer membrane porin C of Escherichia coli, I2 - a fragment of bacterial DNA associated with Pseudomonas fluorescens, and the bacterial flagellin CBir-1. The rates of positive antibody responses and mean titres among positive results were compared.
  
  
  RESULTS
  For pANCA, First Nations had a positivity rate of 55% in those with UC, 32% in healthy controls and 48% in those with RA. The pANCA positivity rate was 32% among Caucasians with RA. The rates of the Crohn's disease-associated antibodies for the First Nations and Caucasians were comparable. Among First Nations, up to one in four healthy controls were positive for any one of the Crohn's disease-associated antibodies. First Nations had significantly higher pANCA titres in both the UC and RA groups than Caucasians.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Although First Nation populations experience a low rate of IBD, they are relatively responsive to this particular antibody panel.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The positivity rates of these antibodies in First Nations, despite the low incidence of IBD in this population, suggest that these antibodies are unlikely to be of pathogenetic significance.
authors.affiliation: IBD Clinical & Research Center, University of Manitoba, Wimnipeg, Manitoba. cbernst@cc.umanitoba.ca
authors.forename: Charles Noah
authors.initials: CN
authors.lastname: Bernstein
authors.forename: Hani
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: El-Gabalawy
authors.forename: Michael
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Sargent
authors.forename: Carol
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Landers
authors.forename: Patricia
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Rawsthorne
authors.forename: Brenda
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Elias
authors.forename: Stephan R
authors.initials: SR
authors.lastname: Targan
mesh_terms: D019268:Antibodies, Antineutrophil Cytoplasmic; D000908:Antibodies, Fungal / Q000097:blood*; D000918:Antibody Specificity; D001172:Arthritis, Rheumatoid / Q000208:ethnology / Q000276:immunology; D001323:Autoantibodies / Q000097:blood*; D003093:Colitis, Ulcerative / Q000208:ethnology* / Q000276:immunology; D003424:Crohn Disease / Q000208:ethnology* / Q000276:immunology; D004797:Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay; D006801:Humans; D007155:Immunologic Factors; D007198:Indians, North American; D012441:Saccharomyces cerevisiae / Q000276:immunology; D044465:White People
chemical_list: D019268:Antibodies, Antineutrophil Cytoplasmic; D000908:Antibodies, Fungal; D001323:Autoantibodies; D007155:Immunologic Factors