Clin Diagn Lab Immunol 2001 Nov;8(6):1181-8
Hughes LE, Bonell S, Natt RS, Wilson
C, Tiwana H, Ebringer A, Cunningham P, Chamoun V, Thompson EJ, Croker J,
Vowles J.
Infection and Immunity Group, Division
of Life Sciences, King's College London, London, United Kingdom.
Antibody responses to Acinetobacter (five strains), Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Escherichia coli, myelin basic protein (MBP), and neurofilaments were measured in sera from 26 multiple sclerosis (MS) patients, 20 patients with cerebrovascular accidents (CVA), 10 patients with viral encephalitis, and 25 healthy blood donors.
In MS patients, elevated levels of antibodies against all strains of Acinetobacter tested were present, as well as antibodies against P. aeruginosa, MBP, and neurofilaments, but not antibodies to E. coli, compared to the CVA group and controls.
The myelin-Acinetobacter-neurofilament antibody index appears to distinguish MS patients from patients with CVAs or healthy controls.
The relevance of such antibodies
to the neuropathology of MS requires further evaluation.
PMID: 11687461 [PubMed - in process]