Anti-Yersinia antibodies are not associated with microscopic colitis in an American case-control study.
BACKGROUND
Microscopic colitis (MC), which consists of lymphocytic colitis and collagenous colitis, may be triggered by gastrointestinal infections. Studies have suggested a relationship between MC and Yersinia enterocolitica infection. We tested this hypothesis in a case-control study of American patients with MC.


METHODS
Serum was collected from 47 patients with MC and 44 age- and gender-matched healthy controls at a large referral center in the mid-western United States. Anti-IgA and IgG antibodies to Y. enterocolitica were measured using an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). Fisher's exact test was used to assess statistical significance.


RESULTS
There were no differences between the two groups for seroprevalence of anti-Yersinia IgA (cases 2.1%, controls 2.3%, p = 1.00) or IgG antibodies (cases 4.3%, controls 6.8%, p = 0.67). There was no correlation between antibody titers and duration of MC diagnosis.


CONCLUSIONS
Our data do not support the role of exposure to Y. enterocolitica in an American group of patients with MC.
Department of Internal Medicine, University of Iowa, IA, USA. cyrus-tamboli@uiowa.edu
Cyrus P
CP
Tamboli
Meredith R
MR
Good
Erin M
EM
Reynolds
Pranav
P
Sharma
Frank A
FA
Mitros
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000907:Antibodies, Bacterial / Q000097:blood*; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D046728:Colitis, Microscopic / Q000097:blood / Q000276:immunology* / Q000382:microbiology*; D004797:Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007070:Immunoglobulin A / Q000097:blood; D007074:Immunoglobulin G / Q000097:blood; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D014481:United States; D015009:Yersinia Infections / Q000276:immunology*; D015008:Yersinia enterocolitica / Q000276:immunology*; D055815:Young Adult
D000907:Antibodies, Bacterial; D007070:Immunoglobulin A; D007074:Immunoglobulin G