TY - JOUR
T1 - Strongyloides stercoralis infection in solid organ transplant patients is associated with eosinophil activation and intestinal inflammation
T2 - A cross-sectional study
AU - Clark, Eva
AU - Pritchard, Haley
AU - Hemmige, Vagish
AU - Restrepo, Alejandro
AU - Bautista, Karla
AU - Damania, Ashish
AU - Ricciardi, Alessandra
AU - Nutman, Thomas B.
AU - Mejia, Rojelio
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
© The Author(s) 2020. Published by Oxford University Press for the Infectious Diseases Society of America. All rights reserved.
PY - 2020/11/15
Y1 - 2020/11/15
N2 - Background. Strongyloidiasis can cause devastating morbidity and death in immunosuppressed patients. Identification of reliable biomarkers for strongyloidiasis in immunosuppressed patients is critical for the prevention of severe disease. Methods. In this cross-sectional study of solid organ transplant (SOT) candidates and recipients, we quantified Strongyloidesspecific IgG to the recombinant NIE-Strongyloides antigen and/or to a soluble extract of S. stercoralis somatic antigens (“crude antigen”) using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays (ELISAs). We also measured peripheral eosinophilia, 4 different eosinophil granule proteins, and intestinal fatty acid–binding protein (IFABP). Results. We evaluated serum biomarkers in 149 individuals; 77 (52%) pre-SOT and 72 (48%) post-SOT. Four percent (6/149) tested positive by NIE ELISA and 9.6% (11/114) by crude antigen ELISA (overall seropositivity of 9.4% [14/149]). Seropositive patients had higher absolute eosinophil counts (AECs) than seronegative patients (P = .004). AEC was positively correlated to the levels of eosinophil granule proteins eosinophil cationic protein (ECP) and eosinophil peroxidase (EPO) (P < .05), while IFABP was positively related to the 2 other eosinophil granule proteins (major basic protein [MBP] and eosinophil-derived neurotoxin [EDN]; Spearman’s r = 0.3090 and 0.3778, respectively; P < .05; multivariate analyses slopes = 0.70 and 2.83, respectively). Conclusions. This study suggests that, in SOT patients, strongyloidiasis triggers both eosinophilia and eosinophil activation, the latter being associated with intestinal inflammation. These data provide insight into the pathogenesis of S. stercoralis infection in the immunocompromised population at high risk of severe strongyloidiasis syndromes.
AB - Background. Strongyloidiasis can cause devastating morbidity and death in immunosuppressed patients. Identification of reliable biomarkers for strongyloidiasis in immunosuppressed patients is critical for the prevention of severe disease. Methods. In this cross-sectional study of solid organ transplant (SOT) candidates and recipients, we quantified Strongyloidesspecific IgG to the recombinant NIE-Strongyloides antigen and/or to a soluble extract of S. stercoralis somatic antigens (“crude antigen”) using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays (ELISAs). We also measured peripheral eosinophilia, 4 different eosinophil granule proteins, and intestinal fatty acid–binding protein (IFABP). Results. We evaluated serum biomarkers in 149 individuals; 77 (52%) pre-SOT and 72 (48%) post-SOT. Four percent (6/149) tested positive by NIE ELISA and 9.6% (11/114) by crude antigen ELISA (overall seropositivity of 9.4% [14/149]). Seropositive patients had higher absolute eosinophil counts (AECs) than seronegative patients (P = .004). AEC was positively correlated to the levels of eosinophil granule proteins eosinophil cationic protein (ECP) and eosinophil peroxidase (EPO) (P < .05), while IFABP was positively related to the 2 other eosinophil granule proteins (major basic protein [MBP] and eosinophil-derived neurotoxin [EDN]; Spearman’s r = 0.3090 and 0.3778, respectively; P < .05; multivariate analyses slopes = 0.70 and 2.83, respectively). Conclusions. This study suggests that, in SOT patients, strongyloidiasis triggers both eosinophilia and eosinophil activation, the latter being associated with intestinal inflammation. These data provide insight into the pathogenesis of S. stercoralis infection in the immunocompromised population at high risk of severe strongyloidiasis syndromes.
KW - Eosinophil granule protein
KW - Eosinophils
KW - Intestinal fatty acid–binding protein
KW - Solid organ transplant
KW - Strongyloides stercoralis
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U2 - 10.1093/cid/ciaa233
DO - 10.1093/cid/ciaa233
M3 - Article
C2 - 32155244
AN - SCOPUS:85100060075
SN - 1058-4838
VL - 71
SP - E580-E586
JO - Clinical Infectious Diseases
JF - Clinical Infectious Diseases
IS - 10
ER -