Thyroglobulin epitope recognition in a post iodine-supplemented XXXX Lankan population.

@entity1669 @entity1 @entity3595 @entity1374
OBJECTIVE: We previously reported a high prevalence of raised thyroglobulin autoantibodies (TgAb) in apparently healthy @entity3595 Lankan schoolgirls following salt iodination. To characterize these antibodies further we determined the epitopes on thyroglobulin (Tg) with which they react and compared these with serum obtained from both healthy subjects and established @entity1669 ( @entity1669 ) @entity1 from the UK. To extend our study to a wider population within @entity3595 Lanka, we in addition determined the epitopes recognized by a group of @entity1669 @entity1 selected from a thyroid clinic in @entity3595 Lanka, as well as apparently healthy female @entity3595 Lankan tea workers of distinct ethnicity from the schoolgirls and @entity1669 @entity1 . DESIGN: @entity3595 Lankan schoolgirls (n = 282) and adult female tea estate workers (n = 208) were examined for thyroid autoimmune markers. Sera with high TgAb (> 98 kIU/l) were selected from these two groups (n = 36 and 45, respectively) to study epitope-binding patterns. We also examined the sera from 16 @entity1669 @entity1 attending a thyroid clinic in Colombo, 16 @entity1 with @entity1669 from the thyroid clinic at the University Hospital of Wales and 16 sera from healthy control UK @entity1 with no evidence of @entity1374 . To determine the epitopes on Tg recognized by the subjects' TgAb, we employed a panel of Tg mouse monoclonal antibodies labelled with alkaline phosphatase in a competitive enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay reaction with the subjects' serum. RESULTS AND CONCLUSIONS: A majority of the @entity3595 Lankan schoolgirls did not react with the immunodominant epitopes and did not differ significantly from healthy subjects from the UK in their Tg epitope recognition pattern. On the other hand, tea estate workers and @entity3595 Lankan @entity1669 @entity1 recognized typical @entity1669 and, in addition, recognized a separate cluster not previously associated with either the autoimmune state or the healthy state. The significance of this cluster requires further clarification.
