02497nas a2200469   4500000000100000008004100001260001300042653002400055653001900079653001400098653001900112653001700131653002100148653001100169653002800180653001800208653001900226653001400245653003200259653003000291100001100321700001500332700002100347700001800368700000900386700001300395700001100408700001700419700001200436700001300448700001300461700001400474700001400488700001700502700001400519700004900533245013900582300001200721490000800733520127200741022001402013       2004                            d  c2004 Dec10aAntigens, Protozoan10aAutoantibodies10aCadherins10aChagas disease10aDesmoglein 110aEndemic Diseases10aHumans10aInsect Bites and Stings10aLeishmaniasis10aonchocerciasis10aPemphigus10aProtein Structure, Tertiary10aSeroepidemiologic Studies1 aDiaz L1 aArteaga LA1 aHilario-Vargas J1 aValenzuela JG1 aLi N1 aWarren S1 aAoki V1 aHans-Filho G1 aEaton D1 aSantos V1 aNutman T1 aMayolo AA1 aQaqish BF1 aSampaio SA P1 aRivitti E1 aCooperative Group on Fogo Selvagem Research 00aAnti-desmoglein-1 antibodies in onchocerciasis, leishmaniasis and Chagas disease suggest a possible etiological link to Fogo selvagem.  a1045-510 v1233 a<p>Pemphigus foliaceus (PF) and the endemic form Fogo Selvagem (FS) are mediated by pathogenic antibodies to the EC1-2 domains of desmoglein-1. There is a preclinical phase with antibodies to only EC5. Based on geographic clustering of cases, FS is thought to have an, as yet unidentified, environmental trigger. In this study we have searched for anti-desmoglein-1 antibodies in sera from parasitic (leishmaniasis, Chagas, and onchocerciasis), and infectious diseases (leprosy and South American (SA) blastomycosis), which are prevalent in the same geographic regions of Brazil as FS. A specific and sensitive desmoglein-1 ELISA detected antibodies in 34 of 41 onchocerciasis (83%), 38 of 88 leishmaniasis (43%), 18 of 31 Chagas disease (58%), 7 of 28 SA blastomycosis (25%), and 14 of 83 leprosy sera (17%). These sera recognized epitopes restricted to the EC5 domain. These findings identify several etiological factors for FS. It is hypothesized that a component of insect vector saliva, rather than the parasite itself may trigger an antibody response to EC-5. In persons with the known HLA susceptibility alleles and living in endemic areas, a response to the EC1-2 domains may subsequently develop by epitope spreading with associated clinical signs of FS.</p>  a0022-202X