Urticaria and silent parasitism by Ascaridoidea: Component-resolved diagnosis reinforces the significance of this association

The objectives of this study were to analyse a possible relationship between parasitism by Ascarididae (Toxocara canis andAnisakis simplex) and the clinical expression of urticaria and to identify possible parasitic molecular markers for improving the diagnosis of unknown urticaria aetiology. The prevalence ofToxocara andAnisakis infestations was evaluated by measuring the levels of specific IgG (sIgG) and IgE (sIgE) antibodies against crude extracts and isolated components from whole larvae ofAnisakis simplex (Ani s 1, Ani s 3 and Ani s 7) andToxocara canis (TES-120, TES-70, TES-32 and TES-26) using immunologic and molecular diagnostic methods. A cross-sectional study was performed in a group of 400 individuals. The study group consisted of 95 patients diagnosed with urticaria (55 with chronic urticaria and 40 with acute urticaria). A control group consisted of 305 subjects without urticaria (182 diagnosed with respiratory allergy and 123 without allergy). Statistically significant differences were demonstrated in the seroprevalence of specific IgG and IgE antibodies between the urticaria patients and the healthy general population when isolated ascarid antigens were evaluated. The prevalence of IgG antibodies against Ani s 1, IgE antibodies against TES-120 and IgE antibodies against TES-70 were significantly different between the control individuals (healthy general population) and patients with urticaria. Moreover, the urticaria patient group demonstrated a higher seroprev...
Source: PLoS Neglected Tropical Diseases - Category: Tropical Medicine Authors: Source Type: research