Cellular Immune Reactions against Common Antigen, Small Intestine, and Colon Antigen in Patients with Crohn’s Disease, Ulcerative Colitis, and Cirrhosis of the Liver

Publisher Website
Google Scholar
Abstract
Cellular immunity against common antigen (CA, from Escherichia coli) and human fetal intestinal antigens was shown in 71-93% of patients with ulcerative colitis and 64-91% of cirrhotics, as measured by the leukocyte migration test (LMIT). Patients with Crohn''s disease exhibited cellular immune reactions to a lesser degree; only patients without immunosuppressive therapy differed significantly from normal controls. Approximately 30% of patients with Crohn''s disease and ulcerative colitis had elevated antibody titers against intestinal antigens and CA. A high percentage of patients in both diseases showed a reciprocal relationship between cellular and humoral immunity. Crohn''s disease and ulcerative colitis can be separated in most cases using intestinal antigens and CA in the LMIT. The occurrence of cellular immunity against these antigens cannot be interpreted as being the only pathogenetic principle in these 2 diseases. There appears to be only a weak immune tolerance against intestinal antigens. The high percentage of cellular immune reactions in patients with cirrhosis of the liver demonstrates that this group may have an impairment of the physiological elimination of antigens by the liver.