Lack of Serum Oligoclonal Antibody Responses to Chlamydophila pneumoniae in Multiple Sclerosis

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Abstract
Chlamydophila pneumoniae has been proposed as an aetiological agent in MS via a mechanism involving molecular mimicry. We undertook to investigate whether the presence of CSF oligoclonal IgG OCB or oligoclonal bands correlated with serum IgG raised against C. pneumoniae. Paired serum and CSF of 19 MS patients and 27 control patients with other neurological diseases were studied by IEF and Western blotting. Only 1 of 19 MS patients had serum antibodies against C. pneumoniae compared with 2 of the 26 control patients. This was not significant, leading us to conclude that this study does not support the theory of an association between C. pneumoniae and MS.