Cofactor dependence and isotype distribution of anticardiolipin antibodies in a population with viral diseases

GUGLIELMONE HUGO A; VITOZZI SUSANA; ABATE DAGA DANIEL; FERNANDEZ EDUARDO

B M J PUBLISHING GROUP

Año: 2001 vol. 16 p. 1 - 1

div class=""> BACKGROUND: Antibodies to cardiolipin (aCLs) are often detected in patients with autoimmune disorders or infectious diseases. OBJECTIVE: To investigate the distribution of aCL isotypes and requirement of protein cofactor in viral infections in order to establish the importance, if any, of these antibodies in these infectious diseases. PATIENTS AND METHODS: The isotype distribution of aCLs in the sera from 160 patients with infection caused by HIV-1 (n=40), hepatitis A virus (n=40), hepatitis B virus (n=40), or hepatitis C virus (n=40) was studied by standardised enzyme linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) in the presence and absence of protein cofactor (mainly beta2-glycoprotein I). Serum samples from healthy volunteers and patients with syphilis and antiphospholipid syndrome were also included and served as negative and positive control groups respectively. RESULTS: