Involvement of bacterial antigens in immunoglobulin A nephropathy.

To investigate the involvement of bacterial antigens in Immunoglobulin A (IgA) nephropathy, we measured IgA, IgG and IgM antibodies to gram-negative Escherichia coli (E.coli) and Haemophilus influenzae (H.influenzae) by ELISA in 24 patients (11 males and 13 females) with IgA nephropathy and 22 normal controls (11 males and 11 females). The titers of IgA and IgM antibodies for E.coli and H.influenzae were significantly higher in the IgA nephropathy group than in the controls. In addition, IgA and IgM antibody titers for E.coli and H.influenzae showed a significant positive correlation with serum IgA and IgM levels. These findings suggest that subclinical infection by these bacteria stimulates IgA production and that this may be a factor in the development and progression of IgA nephropathy.