1. Profile of Trypanosoma cruzi reactivity in a population at high risk for endemic pemphigus foliaceus (Fogo selvagem).
- Author
-
Sousa JX Jr, Diaz LA, Eaton DP, Hans-Filho G, Freitas EL, Delgado L, Ichimura LM, Cristaldi F, Orlandi R, Kesper N Jr, Umezawa ES, Rivitti EA, and Aoki V
- Subjects
- Adolescent, Adult, Aged, Autoantibodies immunology, Brazil epidemiology, Chagas Disease diagnosis, Chagas Disease ethnology, Chagas Disease immunology, Child, Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay, Female, Humans, Indians, South American, Male, Middle Aged, Pemphigus ethnology, Pemphigus immunology, Risk Factors, Young Adult, Antibodies, Protozoan blood, Autoantibodies blood, Chagas Disease epidemiology, Desmoglein 1 immunology, Endemic Diseases, Pemphigus epidemiology, Trypanosoma cruzi immunology
- Abstract
Fogo selvagem (FS) is an autoimmune bullous disease with pathogenic IgG autoantibodies recognizing desmoglein 1 (Dsg1), a desmosomal glycoprotein. In certain settlements of Brazil, a high prevalence of FS (3%) is reported, suggesting environmental factors as triggers of the autoimmune response. Healthy individuals from endemic areas recognize nonpathogenic epitopes of Dsg1, and exposure to hematophagous insects is a risk factor for FS. Fogo selvagem and Chagas disease share some geographic sites, and anti-Dsg1 has been detected in Chagas patients. Indeterminate Chagas disease was identified in a Brazilian Amerindian population of high risk for FS. In counterpart, none of the FS patients living in the same geographic region showed reactivity against Trypanosoma cruzi. The profile of anti-Dsg1 antibodies showed positive results in 15 of 40 FS sera and in 33 of 150 sera from healthy individuals from endemic FS sites, and no cross-reactivity between Chagas disease and FS was observed.
- Published
- 2012
- Full Text
- View/download PDF