Significance of serum IgA in patients with acute hepatitis E virus infection.

Abstract

AIM:

To study the significance of serum anti-hepatitis E virus (HEV) IgA in patients with hepatitis E.

METHODS:

A new method was established to assay anti-HEV IgA, which could be detected in the middle phase of the infection. We compared anti-HEV IgA assay with anti-HEV IgM and anti-HEV IgG assay in sera from 60 patients with positive HEV-RNA.

RESULTS:

The 60 patients with positive HEV-RNA had both anti-HEV IgA and anti-HEV IgM and 410 patients with negative HEV-RNA were used as control. Periodic serum samples obtained from 60 patients with hepatitis E were tested for HEV RNA, anti-HEV IgM, anti-HEV IgA and anti-HEV IgG. Their HEV-RNA was detectable in the serum until 20 +/- 11 d. We used anti-HEV IgM and anti-HEV IgA assay to detect HEV infection and positive results were found in 90 +/- 15 d and 120 +/- 23 d respectively, the positive rate of anti-HEV IgA was higher than that of anti-HEV IgM and HEV-RNA (P < 0.05).

CONCLUSION:

The duration of anti-HEV IgA in serum is longer than that of anti-HEV IgM, and anti-HEV IgA assay is a good method to detect HEV infection.

• Authors: De-Ying Tian, Yan Chen, Ning-Shao Xia
• Journal: World journal of gastroenterology (World J Gastroenterol) Vol. 12 Issue 24 Pg. 3919-23 (Jun 28 2006) ISSN: 1007-9327 [Print] United States
• PMID: 16804983 (Publication Type: Evaluation Study, Journal Article)

Chemical References

• Hepatitis Antibodies
• Immunoglobulin A
• Immunoglobulin G
• Immunoglobulin M
• RNA, Viral

Topics

• Acute Disease
• Adult
• Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay
• Female
• Hepatitis Antibodies (blood)
• Hepatitis E (blood, diagnosis, immunology)
• Hepatitis E virus (genetics, immunology)
• Humans
• Immunoglobulin A (blood, immunology)
• Immunoglobulin G (blood, immunology)
• Immunoglobulin M (blood, immunology)
• Male
• Middle Aged
• RNA, Viral (analysis)