title: Humoral response against host-mimetic homologous epitopes of Mycobacterium avium subsp. paratuberculosis in Japanese multiple sclerosis patients.
abstract: Several works have demonstrated the existence of a link between Mycobacterium avium subsp. paratuberculosis (MAP) and MS in Italy. In this study, we analyzed the serology of MAP in a Japanese population while looking at several markers of MAP. Fifty MS patients, 12 clinically isolated syndrome (CIS) patients, 30 other neurological disorders (OND) patients, and 50 healthy controls (HCs) were tested using ELISA for the presence of IgG antibodies toward immunodominant epitopes MAP_0106c121-132, homologues MBP85-98, homologues IRF5424-432, MAP_402718-32, and MAP_2694295-303. MAP-positive patients were also analyzed in relation to their clinical/demographic characteristics. Amongst all peptides, only antibodies against MAP_2694295-303 were more prevalent in MS patients (30%), as compared to OND patients (3%) (p = 0.009; area under roc curve (AUC) = 0.61) and HCs (2%) (p = 0.0004; AUC = 0.65) and in CIS patients (25%) compared to HCs (p = 0.023; AUC = 0.55). Logistic regression analysis showed a higher frequency of anti-MAP_2694295-303 antibodies in the sera of oligoclonal bands positive MS patients (p = 0.2; OR = 2, 95%CI: 0.55-7.7). These findings support the view that MAP could act as a risk factor or a triggering agent of MS in some Japanese patients with a genetic susceptibility to the mycobacterium.
authors.affiliation: Juntendo University School of Medicine, Department of Neurology, Tokyo, 113-8421, Japan.
authors.forename: Davide
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Cossu
authors.affiliation: Juntendo University School of Medicine, Department of Neurology, Tokyo, 113-8421, Japan.
authors.forename: Kazumasa
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Yokoyama
authors.affiliation: Sassari University, Department of Biomedical Sciences, Sassari, 07100, Italy.
authors.forename: Leonardo Antonio
authors.initials: LA
authors.lastname: Sechi
authors.affiliation: Sangenjaya hospital, Department of Blood Purification, Tokyo, 154-0024, Japan.
authors.forename: Shigeru
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Otsubo
authors.affiliation: Juntendo University School of Medicine, Department of Neurology, Tokyo, 113-8421, Japan.
authors.forename: Yuji
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Tomizawa
authors.affiliation: Tohto College of Health Sciences, Department of Human-care, Saitama, 366-0052, Japan.
authors.forename: Eiichi
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Momotani
authors.affiliation: Juntendo University School of Medicine, Department of Neurology, Tokyo, 113-8421, Japan.
authors.forename: Nobutaka
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Hattori
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000907:Antibodies, Bacterial / Q000276:immunology; D044466:Asian People; D003710:Demography; D004797:Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay; D000939:Epitopes / Q000276:immunology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D056724:Immunity, Humoral; D007558:Italy; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009103:Multiple Sclerosis / Q000276:immunology* / Q000382:microbiology*; D016927:Mycobacterium avium subsp. paratuberculosis / Q000276:immunology*; D010455:Peptides / Q000276:immunology
chemical_list: D000907:Antibodies, Bacterial; D000939:Epitopes; D010455:Peptides