The Presence of Liver Auto-Antibodies Induced by Entamoeba Histolytica in the Sera from Both Naturally Infected Humans and Immunized Rabbits

Abstract

Auto-antibodies against normal human liver have been detected in the sera of humans with highly positive indirect hemagglutination (IHA) amebiasis titers and with clinically-proven amebic liver abscess. Sera of amebiasis patients and rabbits immunized with killed Entamoeba histolytica were tested for anti-amebic antibodies by the IHA test and for auto-antibodies by the complement fixation test, using the antigens prepared from extracts of human liver and rabbit liver. A direct correlation was found to exist between high anti-Entamoeba antibody titers and the presence of anti-liver antibody in the serum. It is proposed that, in addition to direct parasite damage to host tissue, immunological damage could result from the attachment of circulating antigen to the cell surfaces of host tissues such as the liver.

The Biochemistry and Functional Morphology of the Entamoeba1

“…Two reports indicate the presence of auto-antibodies in amoebic infection: Salem et al (207) found anti-colon antibodies in patients with amoebic colitis while Faubert et al (56) detected liver autoantibodies in patients with proven hepatic amoebiasis. The mechanisms involved and the possible role of autoimmunity in the pathology of amoebiasis are not known.…”

Can We Diagnose Amebiasis?

“…Other immunochemical details of their assay clearly require further definition as evidenced by Figures 2 and 3 in their report, revealing that both human (Figure 2) and rabbit (Figure 3) antibodies precipitate the antigen used, but only human antibodies work properly in the radioimmunoassay. It is likely that the fate in plasma of foreign macromolecules arising from a protozoan of this type may be much more complex than presently realized (9), but in a sense, the more that happens in host-parasite interactions, the more footholds one can find as investigative tools.…”