Increased frequency of anti-retina antibodies in asymptomatic patients with chronic t. gondii infection

• Published in: Clinics (São Paulo, Brazil) Brazil), 2010-01, Vol.65 (10), p.1027-1032
• Main Authors: Cursino, Sylvia Regina Temer, da Costa, Thaís Boccia, Yamamoto, Joyce Hisae, Meireles, Luciana Regina, Silva, Maria Antonieta Longo Galvão, de Andrade Junior, Heitor Franco
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Analysis of Variance; Antigens - immunology; Asymptomatic Infections; Autoantibodies; Autoantibodies - blood; Biomarkers - blood; Clinical Science; ELISA; Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay - methods; Humans; Immunoglobulin G - blood; MEDICINE, GENERAL & INTERNAL; Retina; Retina - immunology; Statistics, Nonparametric; Toxoplasmosis; Toxoplasmosis - complications; Toxoplasmosis - immunology; Toxoplasmosis, Ocular - diagnosis; Toxoplasmosis, Ocular - etiology; Uveitis; Uveitis - diagnosis; Uveitis - etiology
• ISSN: 1807-5932; 1980-5322; 1980-5322
• DOI: 10.1590/S1807-59322010001000018

To search for anti-retina antibodies that serve as markers for eye disease in uveitis. Stored sera from patients with uveitis, ocular toxoplasmosis (n = 30) and non-infectious, immune-mediated uveitis (n = 50) and from asymptomatic individuals who were positive (n = 250) and negative (n = 250) for anti-Toxoplasma antibodies were tested. Serum anti-retina IgG was detected by an optimized ELISA using a solid-phase whole human retina extract, bovine S-antigen or interphotoreceptor retinoid-binding protein. Uveitis patients showed a higher mean reactivity to whole human retina extract, interphotoreceptor retinoid-binding protein and S-antigen in comparison to the asymptomatic population. These findings were independent of the uveitis origin and allowed the determination of the lower anti-retina antibody cut-off for the three antigens. Asymptomatic anti-Toxoplasma serum-positive individuals showed a higher frequency of anti-human whole retina extract antibodies in comparison to asymptomatic anti-Toxoplasma serum-negative patients. The bovine S-antigen and interphotoreceptor retinoid-binding protein ELISAs also showed a higher mean reactivity in the uveitis groups compared to the asymptomatic group, but the observed reactivities were lower and overlapped without discrimination. We detected higher levels of anti-retina antibodies in uveitis patients and in a small fraction of asymptomatic patients with chronic toxoplasmosis. The presence of anti-retina antibodies in sera might be a marker of eye disease in asymptomatic patients, especially when whole human retina extract is used in a solid-phase ELISA.