Subject(s)
3-Hydroxysteroid Dehydrogenases/deficiency , Chenodeoxycholic Acid/administration & dosage , Ursodeoxycholic Acid/administration & dosage , Administration, Oral , Chenodeoxycholic Acid/urine , Female , Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry , Humans , Pregnancy , Pregnancy Complications/therapy , Ursodeoxycholic Acid/urineABSTRACT
We previously reported that the frequency of TCRBV2 and TCRBV6S5-bearing T-cells was high in patients in the acute phase of Kawasaki disease (KD) and that streptococcal pyrogenic exotoxin C (SPE-C) was a potent stimulator of these TCRBV-bearing T-cells. To further elucidate the pathogenesis of KD, we examined the T-cell receptor (TCR) repertoire, human leukocyte antigen (HLA)-DRB1 genotype, and antibody responses to recombinant(r) SPE-C in patients with KD. We also performed in vitro stimulation with rSPE-A and rSPE-C of peripheral blood mononuclear cells from healthy donors and characterized the reacting T-cells. The percentage of T-cells bearing TCRBV2 and TCRBV6S5 was high in patients in the acute stage of KD. rSPE-C stimulation of PBMC from healthy donors induced expansion of TCRBV2 and TCRBV6S5-bearing T-cells. Furthermore, serum levels of anti-SPEC antibodies, which did not display antimitogenic activity, were higher in patients with acute KD than in age-matched controls. The frequencies of the DRB1*04051, 0406, and 0901 were high, whereas that of the DRB1*1101 was low among patients with KD as compared with the healthy adults.
Subject(s)
Bacterial Proteins , Exotoxins/analysis , Membrane Proteins , Mucocutaneous Lymph Node Syndrome/immunology , Mucocutaneous Lymph Node Syndrome/microbiology , Streptococcal Infections/complications , Streptococcal Infections/immunology , Antibodies, Bacterial/blood , Child, Preschool , Exotoxins/immunology , Female , Gene Frequency , Genotype , HLA-DR Antigens/genetics , HLA-DRB1 Chains , Humans , Infant , Male , Mucocutaneous Lymph Node Syndrome/genetics , Streptococcal Infections/genetics , Superantigens/analysis , Superantigens/immunology , T-Lymphocytes/microbiologyABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: In order to investigate the immune response to Helicobacter pylori in childhood, we compared anti-H. pylori IgG and IgA antibodies with H. pylori antigen in the stool and examined the clinical usefulness of the anti-H. pylori IgG and IgA antibodies. METHODS: This study included 157 children who were seen at our hospital. Serum and stool samples were obtained for these children. Antibodies to H. pylori were examined using an H. pylori IgG enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays (ELISA) and an H. pylori IgA ELISA. Analysis of stool samples was carried out by the H. pylori stool antigen (HpSA) enzyme immunoassay. RESULTS: Of the 157 children, 45 children were HpSA positive, 110 were negative and two were undetermined. Out of 45 HpSA positive patients, 25 children were both IgG and IgA positive and seven were negative for both IgG and IgA antibodies. Of the 110 patients who were HpSA negative, 97 were negative for both antibodies. All HpSA positive children older than 10 years were positive for IgG and IgA antibodies, but of the HpSA positive children under the age of 10, only 18 out of 35 (51.4%) were positive for IgG antibodies or IgA antibody. CONCLUSION: These facts suggested that an immature immune response or tolerance to H. pylori exists in childhood and serodiagnosis of H. pylori infection is less useful in children aged below 10.
