Antimicrobial Antibodies In Celiac Disease: Trick Or Treat?

Main Category: Allergy
Also Included In: Nutrition / Diet;  GastroIntestinal / Gastroenterology;  Crohn's
Article Date: 27 Aug 2009 - 5:00 PDT

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Anti-microbial antibody formation has been reported in celiac disease. Relatively high positivity rates were observed for the conventional antibodies, for example, ASCA, anti-OmpW, and anti-I2, and they were known to decrease after a successful gluten free-diet. The importance of newly discovered inflammatory bowel disease-associated antibodies (including anti-glycan antibodies and anti-OMP) in celiac disease is not sure. The presence of anti-microbial antibodies in relation to clinical presentation of the disease and NOD2/CARD15 mutations was also not investigated.

A research article published in the World Journal of Gastroenterology addresses this problem. Hungarian researchers from the University of Debrecen in Debrecen and the Semmelweis University in Budapest have shown in a well-characterized CD cohort that the anti-glycan antibody positivity is a common feature of celiac disease at the time of diagnosis and is lost after long-term gluten-free diet. The positivity rate and titers at diagnosis are as high as observed in Crohn's disease. The presence of anti-glycan antibodies is associated with the presenting symptoms, especially with severe malabsorption but not with mutations in NOD2/CARD15. No higher prevalence of anti-microbial antibodies is observed in the unaffected, first-degree relatives of this patient cohort.

Although the new data presented in the article may add new pieces to the puzzle of the anti-microbial antibody formation, the authors believe that it also assist to re-evaluate recently proposed genetically drived mechanism. Serological response to various microbial antigens might be considered a universal marker of the enhanced translocation of the gut microflora through the impaired small bowel mucosa both in celiac and Crohn's disease patients.

Reference:
Papp M, Foldi I, Altorjay I, Palyu E, Udvardy M, TumpekJ, Sipka S, Korponay-Szabo IR, Nemes E, Veres G, Dinya T, Tordai A, Andrikovics H, Norman GL, Lakatos PL. Antimicrobial antibodies in celiac disease: Trick or treat? World J Gastroenterol 2009; 15(31): 3891-3900 http://www.wjgnet.com/1007-9327/15/3891.asp

Source:
Lin Tian
World Journal of Gastroenterology