Seroprevalences of autoantibodies and anti-infectious antibodies among Ghana’s healthy population

Abstract

Autoantibodies, which are antibodies that target self-epitopes, have considerable diagnostic, prognostic and predictive value in specific autoimmune diseases. Various infectious agents have been linked via numerous mechanisms to the formation of different autoantibodies. Therefore, estimating the prevalence of autoantibodies and anti-infectious antibodies in different populations is of high importance. Different genetic and environmental pressures, such as these found in Ghana's different geographical provinces, may affect the prevalence of autoantibodies. In this study, we assessed the seroprevalence of a diverse panel of autoantibodies and anti-infectious antibodies among the healthy Ghanaian population and investigated possible environmental and genetic predispositions for autoantibodies and autoimmunity. The sera of 406 healthy individuals were obtained from Greater Accra, Upper West, Eastern and Volta regions. Multiplexed assay and chemiluminescent immunoassay techniques were utilized to assess the presence of a panel of autoantibodies and anti-infectious antibodies. We found a high prevalence of anti-HSV-1 IgG (91-100%), anti-EBNA IgG (81-93%) and anti-EBV-VCA IgG (97-100%) antibodies. The prevalence of ANA (at least one of: anti-dsDNA; antichromatin; anti-ribosomal-P; anti-Ro/SSA; anti-La/SSB; anti-centromere B; anti-Sm; anti-Sm/RNP; anti-Scl-70; anti-Jo1; anti-DFS70) was estimated at 14%. An inverse association between anti-HSV-2 antibodies and ANA (p = 0.044; adjusted OR = 0.398; CI [0.162-0.975]) was found, after adjusting for differences in gender, age, and familial history of autoimmune diseases. A trend towards reduced seroprevalence of anti-dsDNA antibodies among subjects who were positive for anti-HSV-2 antibodies was also noted (p = 0.1). In conclusion, the inverse association between anti-HSV-2 antibodies and ANA positivity suggests a possible protective role of HSV-2 infection against autoimmunity.Currently, the etiology of autoimmune diseases (AIDs) is not completely understood. Many variables are thought to play a role in the development of these diseases, including genetic, immunological, hormonal and environmental factors 1 . These various factors and the interactions between them, which constitute the "Mosaic of Autoimmunity", may contribute to autoimmunity by different mechanisms. One of these mechanisms is associated with the loss of self-tolerance 2 .Infectious agents, which are members of the environmental pebble of the mosaic, can induce loss of tolerance through various mechanisms, such as: (1) Epitope spreading, i.e. development of an autoimmune response mediated by autoreactive T-cells and expansion of the auto-reactive B-cell repertoire to endogenous epitopes, following

Tuberculosis mimicking the onset of systemic lupus erythematosus flare: Case based review

“…Although the exact mechanism is not clear, the presence of anti-Sm may be a mechanism of antigen mimicry in infection. 16 Consistent with previous studies, 15,17 the presence of autoantibodies neither altered the clinical manifestations and radiographic findings of active TB, nor were detectable after infections are resolved. Therefore, hyperglobulinemia and positive autoantibodies could be detected in common infections and thus SLE cannot be solely relied on for diagnosis.…”

“…Interestingly, consistently with anti‐Sm positivity in Case 6, Elkayam's study 15 showed that a substantial proportion of patients (more than one‐third) were anti‐Sm‐positive in TB patients. Although the exact mechanism is not clear, the presence of anti‐Sm may be a mechanism of antigen mimicry in infection 16 . Consistent with previous studies, 15,17 the presence of autoantibodies neither altered the clinical manifestations and radiographic findings of active TB, nor were detectable after infections are resolved.…”

Low Prevalence of HSV-1 and Helicobacter pylori in HNSCC and Chronic Tonsillitis Patients Compared to Healthy Individuals

“…The prevalence of HSV infection varies greatly depending on the continent, country, population, or HSV type. It was found that the detection of HSV-1 was significantly higher than HSV-2 (87-35% for HSV-1 compared to 17-8% for HSV-2) [71][72][73][74][75][76][77][78][79]. Furthermore, in our study, the presence of the HSV-1 virus was associated with higher age.…”