Antibody Response of Infants to Helicobacter pylori Infection

Kim, Eun A; Kim, Yoon Ok; Lim, Jae Young; Jung, Yang Suk; Park, Chan Hoo; Woo, Hyang Ok; Youn, Hee Shang; Ko, Gyung Hyuck; Baik, Seung Cheol; Lee, Woo Kon; Cho, Myung Je; Rhee, Kwang Ho

Abstract

BACKGROUND/AIMS
The early stage of Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) infection may show only anti-H. pylori IgM antibody response in young infants. We tried to find out the antigens of H. pylori which stimulate antibody response during the early stage of infection using IgM, IgA, and IgG immunoblot analyses.
METHODS
Sera of 48 infants were collected at birth and 7 months of age under the permission of parents and sera of 17 infants were also collected at 3 months and 9 months after birth. For those sera, IgM, IgA, and IgG immunoblotting were performed.
RESULTS
At the first study, seventeen of 48 (35.4%) infants show 120 kDa band on IgM or IgA immunoblot at 7 months of age. Four infants showed 120 kDa band on IgM immunoblot but not on IgA immunoblot. They were assumed to be infected very recently. At the second study, 2 of 17 showed strong IgM immune response to H. pylori at 3 months of age. The 120, 61, 60, 56, 54, 35, 29, 25, 18 kDa bands were recognized on IgM immunoblot in both studies.
CONCLUSIONS
At 7 months of age, 35.4 % of infants were infected with H. pylori. Antigens of H. pylori which stimulate antibody response during the early stage of human infection were 120, 61, 60, 56, 54, 47, 29, 25, 18 kDa.