       Document 0830
 DOCN  M9620830
 TI    Age-dependent humoral responses of children to mycobacterial antigens.
 DT    9602
 AU    Fairchok MP; Rouse JH; Morris SL; Walter Reed Army Medical Center,
       Washington, D.C. 20307-5000,; USA.
 SO    Clin Diagn Lab Immunol. 1995 Jul;2(4):443-7. Unique Identifier :
       AIDSLINE MED/96082421
 AB    In the United States, disseminated infection with environmental
       mycobacteria, including the Mycobacterium avium complex, is the most
       common opportunistic bacterial infection seen in AIDS patients. However,
       the source and relative degree of exposure to environmental mycobacteria
       during childhood are unknown. To examine the age-related exposure to
       mycobacteria, we obtained serum samples from 150 children ranging in age
       from 6 months to 18 years. Each sample was tested against both M. avium
       (serovar 1) sonic extracts and mycobacterial lipoarabinomannan, using an
       enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). All serum samples were also
       subjected to immunoblot analysis with the sonic extract antigen. These
       studies established that elevated ELISA values (P < 0.0001) and
       increased immunoblot reactivity (P < 0.0001) against mycobacterial
       antigens were both associated with increasing age. The seroreactivity
       differences were most striking when comparing the age groups of children
       below the age of 6 with the older age groups. Our results suggest that
       the development of humoral immune responses to mycobacterial antigens in
       children correlates with increasing age and that there may be an
       environmental factor predisposing to mycobacterial exposure which is
       related to advancing age.
 DE    Adolescence  Aging/*IMMUNOLOGY  Antibodies,
       Bacterial/*BIOSYNTHESIS/BLOOD  Antigens, Bacterial/*IMMUNOLOGY  Child
       Child, Preschool  Female  Human  Immunoblotting  Infant
       Lipopolysaccharides/IMMUNOLOGY  Male  Mycobacterium avium
       Complex/*IMMUNOLOGY  JOURNAL ARTICLE

       SOURCE: National Library of Medicine.  NOTICE: This material may be
       protected by Copyright Law (Title 17, U.S.Code).

