rss
Ann Rheum Dis 2002;61:1012-1016 doi:10.1136/ard.61.11.1012
  • Extended report

Infectious background of patients with a history of acute anterior uveitis

  1. M Huhtinen1,
  2. K Laasila2,
  3. K Granfors3,
  4. M Puolakkainen4,
  5. I Seppälä5,
  6. L Laasonen6,
  7. H Repo5,7,
  8. A Karma1,
  9. M Leirisalo-Repo2
  1. 1Department of Ophthalmology, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland
  2. 2Division of Rheumatology, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland
  3. 3National Public Health Institute, Department in Turku, Turku, Finland
  4. 4Department of Virology, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland
  5. 5Department of Bacteriology and Immunology, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland
  6. 6Department of Radiology, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland
  7. 7Division of Infectious Diseases, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland
  1. Correspondence to:
    Dr Minna Huhtinen, Helsinki University Eye Hospital, PO Box 220, FIN-00029 HUS, Finland;
    minna.huhtinen{at}hus.fi
  • Accepted 16 April 2002

Abstract

Objective: To study the infectious backround of patients with a history of acute anterior uveitis (AAU) and healthy control subjects.

Methods: Sixty four patients with previous AAU and 64 sex and age matched controls were studied. Serum antibodies to Salmonellae, Yersiniae, Klebsiella pneumoniae, Escherichia coli, Proteus mirabilis, Campylobacter jejuni, and Borrelia burgdorferi were measured using enzyme linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA), and antibodies to Chlamydia trachomatis and Chlamydia pneumoniae by microimmunofluorescence test. Peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs), separated by density gradient centrifugation, were studied for Salmonella and Yersinia antigens by means of an immunofluorescence test, and for C pneumoniae DNA with a polymerase chain reaction (PCR).

Results: Neither prevalence nor levels of single microbial antibodies studied differed between the patients and control subjects, or between subgroups of patients created on the basis of clinical characteristics. In logistic regression analysis, the high number of recurrences (>10) of AAU was independently related to the presence of single or multiple bacterial antibodies (p=0.04). None of the PBMC samples of the patients were positive for Yersinia or Salmonella antigens. C pneumoniae PCR was positive in a patient who was negative for C pneumoniae antibodies.

Conclusion: Although neither the prevalence nor the levels of single microbial antibodies studied differed between the patients and the controls, current data suggest that the presence of single or multiple antibodies in patients with many recurrences of AAU compared with patients with none or few recurrences may be a sign of repeated infections, antigen persistence, or raised innate immune responsiveness.

Footnotes

    This Article

    1. Abstract
    2. Full text
    3. PDF

    Responses

    1. Submit a response
    2. No responses published

    Register for free content

    The full back archive is now available for all BMJ Journals. Institutional subscribers may access the entire archive as part of their subscription. Personal subscribers will also have access to all content when logged in. Non-subscribers who register have free access to all articles published before 2006 right back to volume 1 issue 1. Register here to access the free archive of all BMJ Journals.

    Don't forget to sign up for content alerts so you keep up to date with all the articles as they are published.