Autoantibodies in sera of Thai patients with Plasmodium falciparum infection
Boonpucknavig, S.; Ekapanyakul, G.
Clinical and Experimental Immunology 58(1): 77-82
1984
ISSN/ISBN: 0009-9104 PMID: 6383670 Document Number: 240842
Serum from 98 Thai adults infected with P. falciparum were examined for the presence of autoantibodies. Malarial containing antibodies sera were also revealed positive for anti-nuclear antibodies with fluorescence speckled pattern, anti-smooth muscle antibodies, anti-mitochondria antibodies and rheumatoid factor. There was no detectable antibody to double stranded DNA. There was a significant relationship between high titer of malarial antibody and high frequency of speckled pattern of antinuclear factor or anti-nuclear antibodies. By the ELISA [enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay] technique determination of serum antibodies against an extractable nuclear antigen (ENA) in patients with P. falciparum infection gave 43.8% (43 of 98) positive result. In addition, sera containing malarial antibodies gave positive antibodies to ENA in 50% (49 of 98) by tanned red cell hemagglutination. Among the positive sera with antibodies to ENA, they showed the presence of antibodies to both ribonucleoprotein RNase sensitive (RNP) and ribonucleoprotein RNase resistance (Sm). Also, both of the antibodies exhibited positive staining of speckled pattern of antinuclear factor. Malaria infection apparently induces autoantibodies which were predominantly anti-nuclear antibodies.