Brief Reports
Copyright ©The Author(s) 2005. Published by Baishideng Publishing Group Inc. All rights reserved.
World J Gastroenterol. Jul 14, 2005; 11(26): 4108-4110
Published online Jul 14, 2005. doi: 10.3748/wjg.v11.i26.4108
Correlation of Chlamydia pneumoniae infection with primary biliary cirrhosis
Hai-Ying Liu, An-Mei Deng, Jian Zhang, Ye Zhou, Ding-Kang Yao, Xiao-Qing Tu, Lie-Ying Fan, Ren-Qian Zhong
Hai-Ying Liu, Clinical Laboratory, General Hospital of Guangzhou Military Command of PLA, Guangzhou 510010, Guangdong Province, China
An-Mei Deng, Jian Zhang, Ye Zhou, Xiao-Qing Tu, Lie-Ying Fan, Ren-Qian Zhong, Laboratory Diagnostics, Changzheng Hospital, Second Military Medical University, and Clinical Immunology Center of PLA, Shanghai 200003, China
Ding-Kang Yao, Department of Gastroenterology, Changzheng Hospital, Second Military Medical University, Shanghai 200003, China
Author contributions: All authors contributed equally to the work.
Supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China, No. 30300157
Correspondence to: Dr. Hai-Ying Liu, Clinical Laboratory, General Hospital of Guangzhou Military Command of PLA, Guangzhou 510010, Guangdong Province, China. xiangliuhaiying@21cn.com
Telephone: +86-20-61653458 Fax: +86-20-36225361
Received: September 30, 2004
Revised: November 23, 2004
Accepted: November 26, 2004
Published online: July 14, 2005
Abstract

AIM: To evaluate the association between Chlamydia pneumoniae (Cpn) infection and primary biliary cirrhosis (PBC).

METHODS: Cpn IgG and IgM were determined by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) in 41 well-established PBC patients and two race-matched control groups (post-hepatitis cirrhosis, n = 70; healthy controls, n = 57).

RESULTS: The mean level and seroprevalence of Cpn IgG in PBC group and post-hepatitis cirrhosis (PHC) group were significantly higher than those in healthy controls (46.8 ± 43.4 RU/mL, 49.5 ± 45.2 RU/mL vs 28.3 ± 32.7 RU/mL; 68.3%, 71.4%, 42.1%, respectively; P < 0.05). There was a remarkably elevated seroprevalence of Cpn IgM in patients with PBC (22.0%) compared to the PHC and healthy control (HC) groups. For the PBC patients versus the HCs, the odds ratios (ORs) of the presence of Cpn IgG and IgM were 2.7 (95% CI 0.9-6.1) and 5.1 (95% CI 1.4-18.5), respectively. Though there was no correlation in the level of Cpn IgG with total IgG in sera of patients with PBC (r = -0.857, P = 0.344 > 0.05), Cpn IgM was related with the abnormally high concentrations of total IgM in PBC group.

CONCLUSION: The results of this study do not support the hypothesis that infection with Chlamydia pneumoniae may be a triggering agent or even a causative agent in PBC, but suggest that Chlamydia pneumoniae infection probably contributes to the high level of IgM present in most patients with PBC.

Keywords: Primary biliary cirrhosis; Chlamydia pneumoniae; Antibodies; ELISA