Precipitins to Dietary Proteins in Serum and Upper Intestinal Secretions of Coeliac Children

doi:10.1136/bmj.1.5792.75

Br Med J 1972;1:75-77 (8 January), doi:10.1136/bmj.1.5792.75

Precipitins to Dietary Proteins in Serum and Upper Intestinal Secretions of Coeliac Children

Anne Ferguson, F. Carswell

We have used precipitin tests to detect antibodies to 10 dietaryproteins in the serum (71 cases) and intestinal secretions (51cases) of a group of children. Thirty-three of the patientshad untreated coeliac disease. Our aims were to find out if,in coeliac patients, there was intestinal secretion of antibodiesto wheat proteins only or if, as in coeliac serum, antibodiesto many food proteins were present; and to confirm that secretionof antibodies to wheat or gluten was specific for coeliac disease.

Precipitins to one or more dietary antigens were detected inthe intestinal secretions of 26 out of 30 coeliacs and of 11out of 21 children who did not have coeliac disease. Most ofthe positive reactions were with the antigens wheat flour, gluten,oatmeal, and egg. Though precipitins to wheat flour or glutenwere present in the intestinal secretions of 22 out of 30 coeliacsthis was not specific for coeliac disease for these precipitinswere also present in 8 out of 21 non-coeliac children.

Serum precipitins were detected in 27 out of 33 coeliacs (tothe antigens wheat flour, gluten, oatmeal, rice flour, milk,bovine calf serum, sheep serum, and egg) and in 5 out of 33non-coeliacs (mainly to milk and calf serum, but two infantsaged 3 and 5 months had precipitins to several antigens).

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