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The aim of this study was to evaluate the humoral immune response in late human trichinellosis with particular attention to the presence of IgG4 antibodies directed against the Trichinella-45-kDa glycoprotein (gp). This study re-evaluates subjects 15 years after they were involved in a trichinellosis outbreak that occurred in Central Italy following the consumption of raw boar meat infected with Trichinella britovi. The results show that ELISA tests using the E/S antigen identified five IgM- and eight IgG-positive patients and no IgA-positive patients. Tests using immunoblot (IB) with E/S antigens identified three IgM-, five IgA-, seven- IgG1- and three IgG4-positive sera. When the purified 45-kDa gp was used as an antigen, the IB revealed that six of the ten sera tested were positive for IgG4. Sera were also evaluated with a commercial kit, revealing that 11 of 12 patients had a highly sensitive reactivity against Trichinella proteins (64 and 44–43 kDa). In conclusion, humoral immune response against Trichinella is still present in these patients 15 years after the initial infection, including an IgG4 response directed to the 45-kDa gp. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ovary cancer risk in relation to consumption of dairy products was investigated using a self-administered questionnaire on dietary habits and other risk factors for cancer, which was completed in 1986 by 62 573 postmenopausal women participating in the Netherlands Cohort Study. Follow-up for cancer was implemented by annual record linkage with the Netherlands Cancer Registry and a nationwide pathology registry. After 11.3 years of follow-up, data of 252 incident epithelial ovarian cancer cases and 2216 subcohort members were available for analysis. No association was seen between consumption of milk, yoghurt, cheese or fermented dairy products and ovarian cancer risk. The multivariable adjusted relative risk of epithelial ovarian cancer for women in the highest compared to the lowest quintile of intake of lactose or dairy fat was 0.93 (95% confidence interval (CI)=0.60-1.45; P(trend)=0.32) and 1.53 (95% CI=1.00-2.36; P(trend)=0.11), respectively. Lactose or dairy fat intakes were not associated with serous ovarian cancer risk. Our results do not support an association between consumption of dairy products or lactose intake and ovarian cancer. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Two out of five members of one household presented with clinical signs of trichinellosis after their return to the Netherlands. The family had consumed Trichinella-infected pork in Montenegro, formerly Yugoslavia. Serological tests were performed at 1, 2, 6, and 18 months after ingestion of the infected meat. Trichinella-specific IgM, IgG, and IgA antibodies measured in sera from symptomatic and asymptomatic patients remained positive up to 18 months after ingestion. The measured IgG4 antibody response directed to a 45 kDa Trichinella spiralis antigen also persisted 18 months after ingestion for three of the family members. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]