This Article Full Text Full Text (PDF) Alert me when this article is cited Alert me if a correction is posted Services Similar articles in this journal Similar articles in PubMed Alert me to new issues of the journal Download to citation manager Reprints and Permissions Copyright Information Books from ASM Press MicrobeWorld Citing Articles Citing Articles via HighWire Citing Articles via Google Scholar Google Scholar Articles by Ravdin, J. I. Articles by Jackson, T. F. H. G. Search for Related Content PubMed PubMed Citation Articles by Ravdin, J. I. Articles by Jackson, T. F. H. G.

 Previous Article  |  Next Article 

Infection and Immunity, December 2003, p. 6899-6905, Vol. 71, No. 12
0019-9567/03/$08.00+0     DOI: 10.1128/IAI.71.12.6899-6905.2003
Copyright © 2003, American Society for Microbiology. All Rights Reserved.

Intestinal Antilectin Immunoglobulin A Antibody Response and Immunity to Entamoeba dispar Infection following Cure of Amebic Liver Abscess

Department of Medicine,¹ School of Public Health, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, Minnesota 55455,² South Africa Medical Research Council (NATAL), Durban-Overport 4067, South Africa³

Received 11 June 2003/ Returned for modification 16 July 2003/ Accepted 10 September 2003

We followed 93 subjects with amebic liver abscess (ALA) and 963 close associate controls at 3-month intervals for 36 months to characterize intestinal and humoral antibody responses to the amebic galactose-inhibitable lectin and to determine whether immunity developed to Entamoeba histolytica or Entamoeba dispar infection following cure of ALA. We found that ALA subjects had a higher prevalence and level of intestinal antilectin immunoglobulin A (IgA) and serum anti-LC3 (cysteine-rich recombinant lectin protein) IgA and IgG antibodies, P < 0.01 and P < 0.05, respectively, compared to controls. The intestinal antilectin IgA antibody response was sustained over a longer time period in ALA subjects (71.8% remained positive at 18 months and 52.6% at 36 months, P < 0.001 compared to 17.6% and 10.3% of controls, respectively). ALA subjects were highly immune to E. dispar infection throughout the study (0% infected at 6 and 36 months, compared to 6.5% and 4.9% of control subjects, respectively, P < 0.05). Upon entry into the study, 6.3% of ALA subjects were infected with E. histolytica; the incidence of new E. histolytica infections in controls (as determined by culture) was too low (1.4%) to determine whether ALA subjects exhibited immunity to new infections. We found that stool cultures every 3 months markedly underestimated the occurrence of new E. histolytica infections, as 15.3% of controls seroconverted after 12 months of follow-up. Unfortunately, under the field conditions present in Durban, South Africa, enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay for detection of lectin antigen in stool yielded unreliable results. In summary, subjects cured of ALA exhibited sustained mucosal IgA antibody responses to the amebic galactose-inhibitable lectin and a high level of immunity to E. dispar infection. Determination of immunity to E. histolytica following cure of ALA will require the use of more sensitive and reliable diagnostic methods.

Editor: B. B. Finlay

This article has been cited by other articles:

• Abd Alla, M. D., White, G. L., Rogers, T. B., Cary, M. E., Carey, D. W., Ravdin, J. I. (2007). Adherence-Inhibitory Intestinal Immunoglobulin A Antibody Response in Baboons Elicited by Use of a Synthetic Intranasal Lectin-Based Amebiasis Subunit Vaccine. Infect. Immun. 75: 3812-3822 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
• HAQUE, R., MONDAL, D., SHU, J., ROY, S., KABIR, M., DAVIS, A. N., DUGGAL, P., PETRI, W. A. JR (2007). CORRELATION OF INTERFERON-{gamma} PRODUCTION BY PERIPHERAL BLOOD MONONUCLEAR CELLS WITH CHILDHOOD MALNUTRITION AND SUSCEPTIBILITY TO AMEBIASIS. Am J Trop Med Hyg 76: 340-344 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
• Abd-Alla, M. D., Jackson, T. F. G. H., Rogers, T., Reddy, S., Ravdin, J. I. (2006). Mucosal Immunity to Asymptomatic Entamoeba histolytica and Entamoeba dispar Infection Is Associated with a Peak Intestinal Anti-Lectin Immunoglobulin A Antibody Response. Infect. Immun. 74: 3897-3903 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
• Haque, R., Mondal, D., Duggal, P., Kabir, M., Roy, S., Farr, B. M., Sack, R. B., Petri, W. A. Jr. (2006). Entamoeba histolytica Infection in Children and Protection from Subsequent Amebiasis. Infect. Immun. 74: 904-909 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
• Shah, P. H., MacFarlane, R. C., Bhattacharya, D., Matese, J. C., Demeter, J., Stroup, S. E., Singh, U. (2005). Comparative Genomic Hybridizations of Entamoeba Strains Reveal Unique Genetic Fingerprints That Correlate with Virulence. Eukaryot Cell 4: 504-515 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
• Abd-Alla, M. D., Jackson, T. F. G. H., Soong, G. C., Mazanec, M., Ravdin, J. I. (2004). Identification of the Entamoeba histolytica Galactose-Inhibitable Lectin Epitopes Recognized by Human Immunoglobulin A Antibodies following Cure of Amebic Liver Abscess. Infect. Immun. 72: 3974-3980 [Abstract] [Full Text]