Premium
Antibodies against some bacterial antigens in children
Author(s) -
Kontiainen S.,
Seppälä I.,
Miettinen A.,
Kosunen TU,
Verkasalo M.,
Mäenpää J.
Publication year - 1994
Publication title -
acta paediatrica
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.772
H-Index - 115
eISSN - 1651-2227
pISSN - 0803-5253
DOI - 10.1111/j.1651-2227.1994.tb18266.x
Subject(s) - medicine , antibody , bordetella pertussis , immunology , titer , antigen , biology , bacteria , genetics
The prevalence of bacterial antibodies was determined in 173 children aged 0–15 years. The prevalence of IgG Borrelia burgdorferi antibodies in titres > 500 in children less than 8 years of age was 6% while none of the older children had these antibodies in titres > 400. IgG Helicobacter pylori antibodies were detected only in children older than 6 years of age, with a prevalence of 6.5%, as were IgA H. pylori antibodies, with a prevalence of 3.7%. The prevalence of high‐titre IgG Campylobacter jejuni antibodies was 1.2%, that of IgA 1.8% and IgM 1.2%. The prevalence of high‐titre (> 500 IU/ml) antistreptolysin O was 3%, that of antistaphylolysin‐alpha (≥ 4 IU/ml) 2% and that of antiteichoic acid antibodies (titre 2) 2%. Low‐titre Yersinia antibodies were detected in 2%. High‐titre Bordetella pertussis antibodies were detected in 6% of recently vaccinated children and in 8% of children in their first years of school. In the latter, high‐titre antibodies were mainly of the IgM and IgA classes. Altogether 35 children tested positive for bacterial antibodies other than Bordetella pertussis antibodies. Clinical evaluation revealed a possible infection, suggested by the antibody, in 5 (3%) of the children. Two (vaccinated) children had evidence of whooping cough. Eight of the 35 children with high‐titre bacterial antibodies (23%) also had elevated levels of autoantibodies (but not autoimmune diseases).