Uselessness of anti-actin antibody in celiac disease screening.

Abstract

BACKGROUND:

Serum anti-actin IgA antibodies (AAA) were identified in patients with celiac disease (CD), and a close correlation emerged between the presence of AAA and mucosa damage, but test for AAA found in celiacs have a wide range of sensitivity and specificity values.

AIM:

To compare 1) the sensitivity and specificity of untreated, calcium-chelated and heated sera from 102 celiacs, 52 sick patients and 103 healthy controls in the determination of AAA, and 2) the reliability of AAA with anti-transglutaminase antibodies (anti-tTG) in diagnosing celiac disease and in predicting intestinal damage. The intestinal derived AAA was isolated by using the phage-display library technique.

RESULTS:

Treated sera was significantly more sensitive than untreated (p=0.0001), and showed a significant correlation between AAA and the three degrees (3a, 3b, 3c) of intestinal damage (p=0.01). Sensitivity and specificity values of anti-tTG assay were higher than the AAA assay, and anti-tTG serum-concentration was only significantly correlated with more severe (3b and 3c) intestinal damage degrees. AAA isolated by phage display showed similar results of serum AAA in immunofluorescence assay.

CONCLUSIONS:

Notwithstanding correlation between AAA and celiac disease, AAA assay, also after treatments, has little to offer in screening for CD compared to the well-established anti-transglutaminase assay.

• Authors: Elisa Fabbro, Laura Rubert, Sara Quaglia, Fortunato Ferrara, Valentina Kiren, Alessandro Ventura, Tarcisio Not
• Journal: Clinica chimica acta; international journal of clinical chemistry (Clin Chim Acta) Vol. 390 Issue 1-2 Pg. 134-7 (Apr 2008) ISSN: 0009-8981 [Print] Netherlands
• PMID: 18252201 (Publication Type: Journal Article, Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't)

Chemical References

• Actins
• Autoantibodies

Topics

• Actins (immunology)
• Adolescent
• Adult
• Autoantibodies (analysis)
• Celiac Disease (diagnosis, immunology)
• Cell Line, Tumor
• Child
• Child, Preschool
• Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay
• Female
• Fluorescent Antibody Technique, Indirect
• Humans
• Male
• Sensitivity and Specificity