Purpose: The aim of this report was to study the amount and distribution of i mmunoglobulin deposits in liver biopsies from infants with biliary atresia (BA) and correlate the results to the cytomegalovirus (CMV) infection status. Methods : Stored liver biopsies from 18 patients with BA and from 6 control patients wit hout liver disease were immunohistochemically stained to detect IgG and IgM depo sits. The intensity of the immunoglobulin staining was evaluated by a semiquanti tative scoring scale. Ongoing CMV infection was defined as the detection of CMV - IgM in serum and/or the isolation of CMV in the urine and was noted in 9 of t he patients with BA. Results: When analyzing the immunoglobulin deposits on the hepatocellular canalicular membrane the intensity score for IgM deposits was sig nificantly higher in biopsies from patients with BA infected with CMV than in th ose without. No canalicular staining was detected in control biopsies. Conclusio ns: The results support the possibility that immunologic mechanisms are of impor tance in the pathogenesis of BA and that a CMV infection may trigger such mechan isms.
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