30
Views
28
CrossRef citations to date
0
Altmetric
Original Article

IgG Antibodies to Human Cytomegalovirus Late Protein UL94 in Patients with Systemic Sclerosis

, &
Pages 241-244 | Received 14 Nov 2003, Accepted 15 Apr 2004, Published online: 07 Jul 2009
 

Abstract

Human cytomegalovirus (HCMV) has been proposed as an amplifying agent for at least some of the spectrum of systemic sclerosis (SSc; scleroderma). In support of this hypothesis, antibodies to the HCMV late protein UL94 have been detected in the majority of SSc patients in a study involving Caucasian subjects from Italy. The aim of this investigation was to determine whether elevated levels of anti-UL94 antibodies are present in African American and Caucasian SSc patients from the U.S. We further wished to determine whether there was a significant difference in the levels of anti-UL94 antibodies between the diffuse and the limited forms of the disease. IgG antibodies to a UL94 peptide were measured in 254 Caucasian and 90 African American subjects by an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). In both Caucasian and African American subjects, the mean antibody level in the diffuse form of SSc was significantly higher than that in the respective control subjects (714 vs. 466 ng/ml, p=0.005; 1226 vs. 512 ng/ml, p<0.0001). Also, among Caucasian SSc patients, the mean antibody level in the diffuse form of SSc was significantly higher than that in the limited form of the disease (714 vs. 465 ng/ml, p=0.02). These results show that increased levels of antibodies to the HCMV late protein UL94 are associated with SSc and they may be a marker for the severity of the disease.

Reprints and Corporate Permissions

Please note: Selecting permissions does not provide access to the full text of the article, please see our help page How do I view content?

To request a reprint or corporate permissions for this article, please click on the relevant link below:

Academic Permissions

Please note: Selecting permissions does not provide access to the full text of the article, please see our help page How do I view content?

Obtain permissions instantly via Rightslink by clicking on the button below:

If you are unable to obtain permissions via Rightslink, please complete and submit this Permissions form. For more information, please visit our Permissions help page.