AJTMH ASTMH Job Mart
HOME HELP FEEDBACK SUBSCRIPTIONS ARCHIVE SEARCH TABLE OF CONTENTS
QUICK SEARCH:   [advanced]


     

Am. J. Trop. Med. Hyg., 30(6), 1981, pp. 1238-1246
Copyright © 1981 by The American Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene

This Article
Right arrow Full Text (PDF)
Right arrow Alert me when this article is cited
Right arrow Alert me if a correction is posted
Services
Right arrow Similar articles in this journal
Right arrow Similar articles in PubMed
Right arrow Alert me to new issues of the journal
Right arrow Download to citation manager
Right arrow reprints & permissions
Citing Articles
Right arrow Citing Articles via Google Scholar
Google Scholar
Right arrow Articles by Galvão-Castro, B.
Right arrow Articles by Lambert, P. H.
Right arrow Search for Related Content
PubMed
Right arrow PubMed Citation
Right arrow Articles by Galvão-Castro, B.
Right arrow Articles by Lambert, P. H.

Correlation of Circulating Immune Complexes and Complement Breakdown Products with the Severity of the Disease in Human Schistosomiasis Mansoni*

B. Galvão-Castro, José Carlos Bina, Aloisio Prata AND P. H. Lambert
WHO Immunology Research and Training Centre, Department of Medicine, Hôpital Cantonal, 1211 Geneva 4, Switzerland, Faculdade de Ciências da Saude, Universidade de Brasilia and WHO Collaborating Centre, Department of Immunology, Fundação Oswaldo Cruz, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

Circulating immune complexes and complement components were measured in serum and plasma from 66 patients with three different clinical forms of chronic schistosomiasis mansoni: intestinal, hepato-intestinal and hepatosplenic. Three different methods were used: the 125I-Clq-binding assay, conglutinin-binding assay (KgB) and Raji cell-binding assay. Approximately 25% of the patients were positive for circulating immune complexes as measured by the C1q and Raji assays. The levels of complexes increased significantly with the severity of the disease. 60% of the patients were positive for immune complexes as measured by the KgB-assay but the incidence of positive results was not clearly influenced by the stage of the disease. There was no significant correlation between immunoglobulin levels and immune complexes. The complement profile of these patients does not suggest a dramatic activation of the complement system. However, there was a progressive decrease in the plasma levels of C4 and an increase of C3d levels which correlated significantly with the severity of the disease.

Accepted for publication January 17, 1981.


* This work was supported by the Swiss National Science Foundation (grant no. 39080080), by the Dinu Lipatti-H. Dubois Ferriere Foundation, by WHO, and by the UNDP/World Bank/WHO Special Programme on Research in Tropical Diseases.

Address reprint requests to: Dr. B. Galvão-Gastro, Department of Immunology, Fundação Oswaldo Cruz, Av. Brasil no. 4365, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.






HOME HELP FEEDBACK SUBSCRIPTIONS ARCHIVE SEARCH TABLE OF CONTENTS
Copyright © 1981 by the American Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene.