VIRAL INFECTIONS FROM HERPESVIRIDAE FAMILY AND AUTOREACTIVITY IN BRONCHIAL ASTHMA

The immune response to the viruses from Herpesviridae family was evaluated by determining the levels of virus-specifi c IgG-AT and IgE-AT to HSV 1, EBV, CMV using an adapted ELISA method in patients with bronchial asthma (BA), along with IgE- and IgG4-autoAbs a number of tissue Ags. We revealed that in patients with BA in a prevailed percentage of cases (88%) IgG-Abs for CMV, HSV and EBV were detected in high titers (1:800‒1:2000) as compared with healthy individuals (1:200‒1:400) with greater elevation in patients with severe BA. Direct associations between IgG-Abs for herpes viruses and IgE-autoAbs for collagen III and VI types, myosin, elastin and levels of IL-4 and total IgE directly confi rms the contribution of chronic forms of herpes infection to the maintenance of both IgE-mediated immune infl ammation and autoreactivity in patients with asthma.