RESUMO
Antiself humoral immune responses have been detected not only in classical autoimmune diseases, but autoantibodies have also been found in sera of patients suffering from chronic parasitic diseases. We aimed to investigate the role of fasciolosis as a trigger factor of autoimmune reactivity by searching some antibodies related to hepatobiliary systems, in patients with fasciolosis. Thirty-two patients [17 males, 15 females] with fasciolosis were included in this case-control study. Anti-nuclear antibodies [ANA] Screen [antigen mixture of dsDNA, histones, nRNP/Sm, Sm, SS-A, SS-B, Scl-70, Jo-1, ribosomal P-proteins, centromere] ELISA and single-antigen ELISAs for detection of some antibodies [dsDNA, Anti-M2, Anti- liver-kidney microsomes type 1 [LKM-1] and Myeloperoxidase [MPO] were carried out. ANA-screen, M-2, LKM-1, MPO and anti-dsDNA positivity were detected with ELISA in 7, 7, 4, 2 and 2 of 32 patients with fasciolosis, consecutively. No statistically significant difference was detected for any of the autoantibodies' frequency between patients with fasciolosis and control group. However, autoantibody positivity rate was significantly higher in patients with fasciolosis [50%] than control group [12.5%]. Absorbance values of all autoantibodies in patients with fasciolosis were statistically significant higher than controls. These results lent support to the role of fasciolosis as a trigger factor of autoimmune reactivity by the breakdown of tolerance. In spite of the extensive knowledge that has accumulated, the specific relationship between fasciolosis and autoimmunity is still obscure