The prevalence of antibodies against desmoglein 1 in endemic pemphigus foliaceus in Brazil. Cooperative Group on Fogo Selvagem Research.

BACKGROUND: Pemphigus foliaceus is an autoimmune skin disease mediated by autoantibodies against desmoglein 1. The endemic form is thought to have an environmental cause. The Terena reservation of Limão Verde in Mato Grosso do Sul, Brazil, is a recently identified focus of the disease, with a prevalence of 3.4 percent in the population. We tested the hypothesis that normal subjects living in an endemic area have antibodies against desmoglein 1.

METHODS: We used an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay to detect antibodies against desmoglein 1 in serum samples from 60 patients with endemic pemphigus foliaceus (fogo selvagem) who lived in Limão Verde or elsewhere in Brazil, 372 normal subjects (without pemphigus foliaceus) from Limão Verde and surrounding locations, and 126 normal subjects from the United States and Japan.

RESULTS: Antibodies against desmoglein 1 were detected in 59 of the 60 patients with fogo selvagem (98 percent) but in only 3 of the 126 normal subjects from the United States and Japan (2 percent). Antibodies were also detected in 51 of the 93 normal subjects from Limão Verde (55 percent) and in 54 of the 279 normal subjects from surrounding areas (19 percent). Serum samples obtained one to four years before the onset of disease were available for five patients; all five had antibodies in the initial serum samples, and the onset of disease was associated with a marked increase in antibody values.

CONCLUSIONS: The prevalence of antibodies against desmoglein 1 is high among normal subjects living in an area among where fogo selvagem is endemic, and the onset of the disease is preceded by a sustained antibody response. These findings support the concept that the production of antibodies against desmoglein 1 is initiated by exposure to an unknown environmental agent.