Prevalence Of Serum Antibodies Research Articles

Prevalence of feline leukemia virus infection and serum antibodies against feline immunodeficiency virus in unowned free-roaming cats.

To determine prevalence of FeLV infection and serum antibodies against feline immunodeficiency virus (FIV) in unowned free-roaming cats. Cross-sectional serologic survey. 733 unowned free-roaming cats in Raleigh, NC, and 1,143 unowned free-roaming cats in Gainesville, Fla. In Raleigh, overall prevalence of FeLV infection was 5.3%, and overall seroprevalence for FIV was 2.3%. In Gainesville, overall prevalence of FeLV infection was 3.7%, and overall seroprevalence for FIV was 4.3%. Overall, FeLV prevalence was 4.3%, and seroprevalence for FIV was 3.5%. Prevalence of FeLV infection was not significantly different between males (4.9%) and females (3.8%), although seroprevalence for FIV was significantly higher in male cats (6.3%) than in female cats (1.5%). Prevalence of FeLV infection and seroprevalence for FIV in unowned free-roaming cats in Raleigh and Gainesville are similar to prevalence rates reported for owned cats in the United States. Male cats are at increased risk for exposure to FIV, compared with female cats.

Antibody response to a delayed booster dose of anthrax vaccine and botulinum toxoid

We evaluated the prevalence and concentration of serum antibodies 18–24 months after primary inoculation with anthrax and botulinum vaccines, and assessed the reactogenicity and immunogenicity of a significantly delayed booster dose of these vaccines. Five hundred and eight male active-duty military personnel received one, two or three inoculations with anthrax vaccine and/or botulinum toxoid in 1990/1991 in preparation for Operations Desert Shield/Desert Storm. Subjects were vaccinated with the licensed anthrax vaccine, adsorbed (AVA) and pentavalent (ABCDE) botulinum toxoid (PBT) BB-IND 3723. Anthrax protective antigen (PA) IgG antibody was measured in serum using an immunocapture enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). A mouse neutralization test was used to determine the titer of Clostridium botulinum type A antitoxin in serum samples. The prevalence of anti-PA IgG was 30% in individuals 18–24 months after priming with one, two or three doses of AVA. After boosting, 99% of volunteers had detectable anti-PA IgG; only two individuals failed to respond. The prevalence of antibodies against botulinum toxin type A was 28% 18–24 months after initial priming. Following boosting, 99% of volunteers had serum titers >0.02 IU/ml, and 97% responded with titers ≥0.25 IU/ml. Systemic reactions to booster vaccinations could not be specifically ascribed to one or the other vaccine, but were generally mild and of brief duration. Forty-five percent of volunteers reported one or more systemic reactions over the course of 7 days. Injection site reactions of any kind occurred in 25% of AVA recipients and in 16% of PBT recipients; persistence of local reactions beyond 7 days was infrequent. While the kinetics and durability of immune responses must be studied, these findings suggest that booster doses of anthrax vaccine and botulinum toxoid sufficient to stimulate a robust anamnestic response may be given at times distant from receipt of the primary inoculations.

Prevalence of hepatitis E virus antibodies in Canadian swine herds and identification of a novel variant of swine hepatitis E virus.

Swine hepatitis E virus is a newly identified potentially zoonotic virus from pigs of particular concern for possible direct transmission to a human xenotransplant recipient by organ transplantation. In the present study, prevalence of serum antibodies to hepatitis E virus was examined in Canadian swine herds. A total of 998 serum samples collected from 6-month-old healthy slaughter hogs were examined by enzyme immunoassay and Western blot analysis for antibodies to the recombinant open reading frame 3 (ORF3) protein of hepatitis E virus expressed in Escherichia coli. These samples represented more than 80 different swine production units from five major swine-producing provinces across Canada. From this study, 594 samples (59.4%) were found to be positive for hepatitis E virus antibody. The seroprevalence was higher in Quebec (88.8%) and Ontario (80.1%) than in Alberta and Saskatchewan (38.3%). By PCR using a pair of oligonucleotide primers deduced from the ORF2 sequence of human hepatitis E virus, a specific hepatitis E virus sequence was recovered from feces of pigs. The nucleotide sequence identity between the U.S. swine hepatitis E virus and the Canadian isolate (SK3) was only 85.8%, suggesting that genotypic variations may exist in swine hepatitis E virus in North America. Among 165 serum samples collected from humans in Saskatchewan, 2.4% were found to be positive for antibodies to the hepatitis E virus ORF3 protein. Our data indicate that hepatitis E virus is highly prevalent in commercial swine populations in Canada and support the suggestion that the swine hepatitis E virus may be an important zoonotic agent for humans.

Reduced prevalence of serum antibodies against adeno‐associated virus type 2 in patients with adult T‐cell leukaemia lymphoma

Reduced prevalence of serum antibodies against adeno‐associated virus type 2 in patients with adult T‐cell leukaemia lymphoma

Reduced prevalence of serum antibodies against adeno‐associated virus type 2 in patients with adult T‐cell leukaemia lymphoma

Seroepidemiological studies have shown previously that cancer patients are less likely to have antibodies against the tumour suppressive adeno-associated virus (AAV) than control groups. To examine the influence of AAV infection on the development of adult T-cell leukaemia lymphoma (ATLL), an endemic disease in Southern Japan that is caused by infection with the human T-cell leukaemia virus type 1 (HTLV-I), the prevalence of serum antibodies to AAV type 2 (AAV-2) was tested in healthy HTLV-I carriers (n = 39) and patients with ATLL (n = 31). The results showed a significant difference in AAV-2 seropositivity between the two groups: Only 29% of the ATLL patients had IgG antibodies against AAV-2, whereas 84.6% of the healthy HTLV-I carriers were seropositive. Analysis of total serum IgG and antibodies against the Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) EBNA1 antigen showed that the lack of AAV antibodies in patients was not due to an ATLL-associated immune deficiency. The lower level of AAV-2 seropositivity in ATLL-patients may indicate that AAV-2 antibody-positive HTLV-I carriers might be less likely to develop ATLL or that loss of AAV-2 antibodies may parallel the development of disease.

Serologic survey for canine coronavirus in wolves from Alaska.

Wolves (Canis lupus) were captured in three areas of Interior Alaska (USA). Four hundred twenty-five sera were tested for evidence of exposure to canine coronavirus by means of an indirect fluorescent antibody procedure. Serum antibody prevalence averaged 70% (167/240) during the spring collection period and 25% (46/185) during the autumn collection period. Prevalence was 0% (0/42) in the autumn pup cohort (age 4-5 mo), and 60% (58/97) in the spring pup cohort (age 9-10 mo). Prevalence was lowest in the Eastern Interior study area. A statistical model indicates that prevalence increased slightly each year in all three study areas. These results indicate that transmission occurs primarily during the winter months, antibody decay is quite rapid, and reexposure during the summer is rare.

Human herpesvirus-8 infection among heterosexual partners of patients with classical Kaposi's sarcoma.

DNA sequences of human herpesvirus-8 (HHV8) are found in lesions of Kaposi's sarcoma (KS). To verify the hypothesis of the sexual transmission of HHV8 infection. We used the immunoperoxidase assay to study the prevalence of serum antibodies to HHV8-related antigens in 27 consorts of patients with classical KS, and in a control group of 25 healthy women. Forty-four per cent of the study group were positive, compared with 8% of the controls. The sexual route may be one of the possible ways of transmission of the HHV8 virus.

Detection of serum antibodies to Bartonella henselae and Coxiella burnetii from Japanese children and pregnant women

The participation of Bartonella henselae and Coxiella burnetii in the pathogenesis of fever of unknown origin (FUO) and lymphadenopathy has not been completely clarified. Prevalence of these two agents in Japanese children is also unknown. Serum IgG and IgM antibodies to B. henselae and to C. burnetii were examined by the indirect fluorescence antibody assay. Enzyme immunoassay kits were used to detect serum IgG and IgA antibodies against Chlamydia trachomatis. Out of 200 healthy normal pregnant women, two (1.0%) had serum IgG antibodies to B. henselae, four (2.0%) to C. burnetii and 49 (24.5%) to C. trachomatis. Out of 29 patients with FUO, one (3.4%) had serum IgG antibodies to B. henselae, four (13.8%) to C. burnetii and none to C. trachomatis. Out of 31 patients with cervical lymphadenopathy, three (9.6%) had serum IgG antibodies to B. henselae, two (6.5%) to C. burnetii and none to C. trachomatis. Out of 22 patients with generalized lymphadenopathy, one (4.5%) had serum IgG antibodies to B. henselae, three (13.6%) to C. burnetii and none to C. trachomatis. Prevalences of serum antibodies to C. burnetii in the patients with FUO and generalized lymphadenopathy and to B. henselae in the patients with cervical lymphadenopathy were significantly higher than those of normal pregnant women (Welch’s t-test; P < 0.01). These two agents may have some roles in the pathogenesis of FUO and lymphadenopathy in Japanese children.

Serologic survey for selected infectious disease agents in swift and kit foxes from the western United States.

A serologic survey of swift fox (Vulpes velox) and kit fox (V. macrotis) from the western USA was conducted for 12 infectious diseases. Samples from swift fox were collected between 1987 and 1992 from Colorado (n = 44), Kansas (n = 10), and Wyoming (n = 9). Samples from kit fox were collected in California (n = 86), New Mexico (n = 18), Utah (n = 9), and Arizona (n = 6). Overall antibody prevalence rates were 33 of 110 (30%) for canine parvovirus (CPV), 9 of 72 (13%) for canine distemper virus (CDV), 23 of 117 (20%) for vesicular stomatitis New Jersey, 16 of 117 (14%) for vesicular stomatitis Indiana, six of 117 (5%) for Cache Valley virus, five of 117 (4%) for Jamestown Canyon virus, one of 97 (1%) for rabies virus, one of 117 (1%) for Colorado tick fever virus, and one of 117 (1%) for western equine encephalitis virus. In addition, antibodies were not found to Yersinia pestis, Francisella tularensis, and Borrelia burgdorferi in serum from 25 Colorado swift fox. Adult swift fox from Colorado had serologic evidence of exposure to CPV more often than juveniles. No juvenile swift fox from Colorado had serum antibodies to CDV. There were season-specific differences in serum antibody prevalence for CPV for swift fox from Colorado. No viruses were isolated from ectoparasites or fox from Colorado.

Autoantibodies to glutamic acid decarboxylase in diabetic patients from a multi-ethnic Australian community: the Fremantle Diabetes Study.

To investigate ethnic/racial differences in the prevalence of serum antibodies to glutamic acid decarboxylase (GADA) and ICA512/IA-2 in diabetic patients from a large, urban community. A cross-sectional sample of 1,381 diabetic patients aged 11-98 years, representing 61% of those identified in a postcode-defined population base of 120,097 people were studied. Diabetes was classified on clinical grounds. Serum GADA and anti-ICA512/IA-2 were measured by radioimmunoprecipitation assay. Anglo-Celts formed 62% of the sample, southern Europeans 18%, other Europeans 8% and Asians 3%. GADA prevalence in Type 1 and Type 2 diabetes mellitus was 46.0% and 4.2%, respectively, amongst Anglo-Celts and 22.2% and 1.7% in southern Europeans. The prevalence of anti-ICA512/IA-2 in Type 1 diabetes was 17.4% and, in a sample of 233 patients with Type 2 diabetes, 0.8%. GADA-positive Type 2 patients had a lower body mass index and greater glycosylated haemoglobin, and were more likely to be taking insulin, than GADA-negative Type 2 diabetic subjects (P < 0.05), consistent with the phentoype of latent autoimmune diabetes of adults (LADA). In both Type 1 and Type 2 diabetes, there was a strong inverse association between GADA and serum triglycerides (P < 0.001). The relatively low GADA prevalence in Anglo-Celt patients with Type 1 diabetes is a feature of this community-based study and suggests that GADA levels do fall with time, given the older age of the sample and a relatively long period between diagnosis and sampling. Southern Europeans had an even lower GADA prevalence, regardless of diabetes type. Variations in GADA frequency in diabetic patients of differing European ethnicity has implications for clinical management and healthcare planning.

Gluten-dependent diabetes-related and thyroid-related autoantibodies in patients with celiac disease

Patients with celiac disease are at high risk of having autoimmune disorders. Moreover, untreated patients with celiac disease have been found to have a higher than expected prevalence of organ-specific autoantibodies. In a prospective study of 90 patients with celiac disease, we found that the prevalence of diabetes and thyroid-related serum antibodies was 11.1% and 14.4%, respectively. Like antiendomysium autoantibodies, these organ-specific antibodies seem to be gluten-dependent and tend to disappear during a gluten-free diet. (J Pediatr 2000;137:263-5)

Morbillivirus ecology in polar bears ( Ursus maritimus )

Polar bear (Ursus maritimus) morbillivirus infection was initially reported by Follmann and co-workers in 1996, based upon serologic results using canine distemper virus (CDV). The impetus for the evaluation of polar bear populations for morbillivirus infections was prompted by epidemics of canine distemper-like disease in seal populations in the north Atlantic regions of Greenland, Europe, and Russia. Since marine morbilliviruses have been further characterized into three major species, phocine distemper virus (PDV), dolphin morbillivirus (DMV) and porpoise morbillivirus (PMV), it was of value to determine the origin of the polar bear infection. One hundred serum samples were selected from a group of sera collected from regions of Alaska and Russia and tested by differential serum neutralization assay against the three major marine morbilliviruses and CDV, to determine the predominant virus infecting the polar bear. Polar bears had higher serum antibody titers to CDV than they did to PDV, DMV, and PMV. These data suggest that polar bears are being infected with a morbillivirus of terrestrial origin. Furthermore, based on the high serum antibody prevalence in the population, the virus may be indigenous to the polar bear and not necessarily the result of interspecies transmission from other arctic mammals susceptible to CDV and/or marine morbilliviruses.

Serologic survey for Toxoplasma gondii in selected wildlife species from Alaska.

Blood was collected from selected wildlife species in specific areas of Alaska (USA) during 1976-96. A modified agglutination test was used to test sera for evidence of exposure to Toxoplasma gondii. Serum antibody prevalence was 43% (62 positive of 143 tested) for black bears (Ursus americanus), 9% (11/125) for wolves (Canis lupus), 7% (22/319) for Dall sheep (Ovis dalli), 6% (14/241) for caribou (Rangifer tarandus), 1% (3/240) for moose (Alces alces), and 1% (2/241) for bison (Bison bison). A predictive model was developed to determine the effect of sex, age, location, and year of collection on antibody prevalence for each species. Prevalence was higher in older black bears, caribou, and wolves. For black bears, prevalence was highest in the southeast region of the state. For caribou, prevalence was lowest on the Alaska Peninsula.

High prevalence of serum antibodies to Ras and type 16 E4 proteins of human papillomavirus in patients with precancerous lesions of the uterine cervix

Serum samples from 38 healthy women and 55 women with different types of cervical lesions were investigated for the presence of antibodies to Ras and against E4 and E7 proteins of human papillomavirus type 16 (HPV-16). Our results showed that anti-E7 antibodies were closely associated with cervical cancer (75%), as previously reported. Interestingly, E4 antibodies showed higher prevalence in condyloma lesions (79%; 11/14) than in cervical cancer (60%; 12/20). We also identified 11% (4/38) of healthy individuals as positive for E4 antibodies, which suggests an early immune recognition of this protein. Patients with condyloma and cervical intraepithelial neoplasia (CIN) also showed higher prevalences of Ras antibodies (approximately 40%) than cervical cancer patients (10%; 2/20). By sequencing part of the ras genes and using different Ras antigens, we showed that serum antibodies from patients were not directed to a Ras mutation, since wild-type cHa-Ras protein was recognized by these antibodies. In addition, patients positive for Ras antibodies (94%) were also positive for E4 antibodies, suggesting an association between these. The high prevalence of antibodies against Ras and E4 proteins in pre-malignant lesions opens the possibility of using both antibodies as early markers for potential cervical cancer patients.

Prevalence of serum antibodies against bloodborne and sexually transmitted agents in selected groups in Somalia.

Somalia has suffered from a civil war during the last 10 years. In this period the use of whole blood has increased at least twofold in Mogadishu, Somalia compared with pre-war. Screening possibilities are limited. Recent data concerning the prevalence of infections with blood-borne and sexually transmitted agents are not available from this country. To investigate the spread of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV-1/2) and other blood-borne or sexually transmitted agents we tested a total of 256 serum samples collected in the summer of 1995 from blood donors, hospitalized children and adults in Mogadishu. The hepatitis B surface antigen (HbsAg) carrier rate was 191%, 5.6% and 21.3 % among blood donors, hospitalized children and hospitalized adults, respectively. However, no children under 2 years of age were HbsAg positive. The overall presence of antibodies against hepatitis C virus (HCV) was 2.4% (6/256). In blood donors this was 0.6% (1/157). In none of the samples tested, antibodies against HIV 1 and 2 or human T-cell lymphotropic viruses (HTLV I and II) were detected. Our results indicate that, during the civil war in Somalia, no evidence of an increase of HIV infections was found. Our findings indicate that preventive measures in Somalia should focus mainly on prevention of HBV-infections. HBV-vaccine could be administered within the framework of the expanded programme on immunization, as none of the children less than 2 years of age were HbsAg positive.

Detection of Borna disease virus RNA from peripheral blood cells in schizophrenic patients and mental health workers

Accumulating evidence suggests that Borna disease virus (BDV), a neurotropic, negative-stranded RNA virus, might be associated with certain human mental disorders. Several research groups reported that psychiatric patients had a significantly higher prevalence of BDV serum antibodies than normal controls. In addition, a significantly higher presence of BDV RNA from peripheral blood cells was identified in mental patients than in controls. In our previous study, we first identified the presence of BDV serum antibodies in a cohort of Chinese schizophrenic patients from Taiwan, and we also demonstrated a significantly higher seroprevalence of BDV antibodies among schizophrenic patients than in non-psychiatric controls. Prompted by the positive seroepidemiological result, we set out to investigate the detection of BDV RNA from the peripheral blood cells of our schizophrenic patients. By using the reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) method, 10 out of 74 Chinese schizophrenic patients from Taiwan were found to have BDV RNA in their blood cells, whereas only one out of 69 controls was positive. The BDV RNA detection rate among schizophrenic patients was significantly higher than that in controls (14% vs 1.4%, P < 0.01). Furthermore, we studied the BDV RNA detection rate among mental health workers, and seven out of 45 mental health workers were found to have positive results. The prevalence rate was significantly higher than that in normal controls (15% vs 1.4%, P < 0.001), which lends further support to our previous finding that mental health workers have a significantly higher presence of BDV serum antibodies. In summary, our data support the finding that BDV infection might be a contributory factor to the pathogenesis of schizophrenia in the Chinese population.

The future of molecular epidemiology

Subdomains of epidemiological activity classified according to techniques have been shorter-lived than those classified by the type of disease or exposure. Most of us feel comfortable with broad categories defined by disease group (such as ‘cancer epidemiology’) or by exposure (‘nutritional epidemiology’). In the past, brief vogues for terms such as ‘biochemical epidemiology’ have signalled the availability of new techniques that have been ultimately absorbed into these other entities. Will the term ‘molecular epidemiology’ suffer this fate, or does it imply a paradigm shift that will establish it as a genuine descriptor of a major subdomain of epidemiological activity? A MEDLINE search on the term ‘molecular epidemiology’ reveals over 1600 citations mostly on use of molecular techniques to subtype infectious pathogens. I suspect that infectious disease epidemiologists use the term ‘molecular epidemiology’ to describe this set of techniques, not a paradigm shift in their science. Similarly, they use the term ‘seroepidemiology’ to describe studies using the prevalence of serum antibodies in person, place and time to make inferences about the epidemiology of specific infectious diseases. Sprinkled throughout these citations are chronic disease studies, particularly cancer studies, mainly addressing the use of molecular techniques to make improved or novel assessments of exposures, or to define inherited susceptibility. I will address the applications of molecular techniques to cancer epidemiology, assuming that many of the lessons that can be learned apply to the epidemiology other non-infectious diseases.

Update on the prevalence of serum antibodies (IgG and IgM) to adeno-associated virus (AAV).

In view of presumed non-pathogenicity, tumor suppressive properties, and site-specific integration of the viral genome the human parvovirus, adeno-associated virus (AAV) has gained great interest as a gene transduction vector. Data on the seroprevalence of antibodies to AAV vary between reports, probably due to the different serological methods used. In order to understand better the immune response to AAV during natural infection, sera from different age groups and various geographical regions were compared for AAV antibodies using an ELISA. The data show that the prevalence of antibodies to AAV is similar in Europe (Germany, France, and Switzerland), Brazil, and Japan, indicating worldwide infection. It was confirmed that infection takes place during childhood. However, declining seropositivity thereafter and a second increase of seropositivity after 30 years of age suggests reinfection or reactivation of latent virus in particular as the prevalence of IgM antibodies in adults is relatively high. Furthermore, pregnant women were found to be significantly more frequently seropositive than non-pregnant controls, hinting at a reactivation of persistent AAV (up to 80% of women carry AAV in genital tissue) in specific hormonal conditions, e.g., pregnancy. Cross-reaction of serum antibodies with the different AAV types (defined by complement fixation) was observed by ELISA and neutralization tests confirming earlier results. The results suggest an unstable AAV antibody response allowing lifelong reinfection or reactivation of persisting virus possibly due to partial immunotolerance after an infection in utero, at delivery or during early infancy.

Seroprevalence of Helicobacter pylori among Egyptian newborns and their mothers: a preliminary report.

Helicobacter pylori is one of the most common human bacterial infections in the world and children in the developing countries acquire H. pylori infection early in life. We prospectively evaluated the prevalence of serum antibodies to H. pylori in a cohort of pregnant women and their offspring. Mothers' sera were collected during the third trimester of pregnancy and sera from their offspring were collected when they were 7-9 months and 18 months of age. Pylori-Stat, a commercially available ELISA kit, was used to detect antibodies to H. pylori in the serum of the subjects tested. Sera from 169 mothers were available for testing and 88% of these samples were positive for anti-H. pylori IgG. Of the 169 children tested, 13% of the infants 7-9 months of age and 25% of the children 18 months of age had serologic evidence of H. pylori infection. These data indicate that infection with H. pylori is common in Egypt and acquisition of infection occurs at a very young age.

Activated Borna disease virus in affective disorders.

Borna disease virus (BDV) is an animal pathogen that causes behavioral changes in animals. Previous studies have found a high prevalence of serum antibodies as well as Borna disease viral antigens (BDVAGs) and RNA in the white blood cells of psychiatric patients, especially those with affective disorders. The present study attempts to offer a better description of the BDVAG cohort using clinical parameters. The prevalence of BDVAG was examined in the peripheral mononuclear leukocytes of patients with a major depressive episode. A subgroup of patients underwent further clinical analysis. In this pilot study, at least, there was a significant difference in the prevalence of BDVAG between psychiatric inpatients with a major depressive episode and control individuals. It also appeared that BDVAG is more frequent in patients with recurrent major depression or bipolar disorder than in those with any other psychiatric disorder studied. The number of previous depressive episodes, as well as symptoms involving fatigue and concentration difficulties were positively related to BDVAG. The high rate of BDVAG, especially in fatigued patients with recurrent major depression or bipolar disorder, may be a nonspecific aspect of immunosuppression. The question remains whether this neurotropic virus may contribute to the pathogenesis of some types of affective disorder.