Aim: The aim of this study was to evaluate, retrospectively, the frequency of anti-Saccharomyces cerevisiae antibodies (ASCA) in patients with primary biliary cirrhosis (PBC).
Methods: ASCA, IgG, and IgA, were determined by ELISA in sera of 95 PBC patients; 80 healthy blood donors served as controls.
Results: The frequency of ASCA (IgG or IgA) was significantly higher in PBC patients than in the control group (24.2% vs 3.7%, P = 0.0001). The frequency of ASCA IgG and ASCA IgA in PBC patients was also significantly higher than that found in the control group (18.9% vs 2.5%, P = 0.0006 and 11.6% vs 1.2%, P = 0.007, respectively). Six patients out of 95 (6.3%) had both ASCA IgG and ASCA IgA; in contrast, none of the control group had both isotypes (P = 0.02). There was no correlation between ASCA levels and mitochondrial autoantibodies (AMA) titres in PBC patients.
Conclusion: We conclude that ASCA are common in patients with PBC.