The Prevalence of Antibodies against Desmoglein 1 in Endemic Pemphigus Foliaceus in Brazil

Autor: Raymond G. Hoffmann, Luis A. Diaz, Simon Warren, Mong Shang Lin, Evandro A. Rivitti, George J. Giudice, Gunter Hans-Filho, Vandir dos Santos, Valeria Aoki
Rok vydání: 2000
Předmět:
Zdroj: New England Journal of Medicine. 343:23-30
ISSN: 1533-4406
0028-4793
Popis: Background Pemphigus foliaceus is an autoimmune skin disease mediated by autoantibodies against desmoglein 1. The endemic form is thought to have an environmental cause. The Terena reservation of Limao Verde in Mato Grosso do Sul, Brazil, is a recently identified focus of the disease, with a prevalence of 3.4 percent in the population. We tested the hypothesis that normal subjects living in an endemic area have antibodies against desmoglein 1. Methods We used an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay to detect antibodies against desmoglein 1 in serum samples from 60 patients with endemic pemphigus foliaceus (fogo selvagem) who lived in Limao Verde or elsewhere in Brazil, 372 normal subjects (without pemphigus foliaceus) from Limao Verde and surrounding locations, and 126 normal subjects from the United States and Japan. Results Antibodies against desmoglein 1 were detected in 59 of the 60 patients with fogo selvagem (98 percent) but in only 3 of the 126 normal subjects from the United States and Japan (2 perce...
Databáze: OpenAIRE