Aim: The aim of the study was to evaluate the clinical relevance, sensitivity and specificity of in vitro blood test, Memory Lymphocyte ImmunoStimulation Assay (MELISA®), in geneticallypredisposed patients that suffer by autoimmune/inflammatory syndrome induced by adjuvants, after HPV-vaccination and that could have a high metal hypersensitivity. Materials andMethods: Sixteen girls (aged 12–24 years) that developed long-lasting and invalidating somatoform symptoms occurring within 20 days postvaccination are included in this descriptivestudy. The hypersensitivity to five metals (aluminum, nickel, mercury, methyl mercury, and thimerosal) was measured by MELISA® test. Results: Seven girls showed negativity to all thefive metals tested. The findings showed metal hypersensitivity only in nine patients: Toxicity to aluminum (two girls), reactivity to nickel (seven girls), followed by mercury (seven girls).Conclusion: The MELISA® assay is neither sensitive nor specific in detecting metal hypersensitivity and associated chronic diseases, including autoimmune pathologies.
Leggi ArticoloAutoimmune diseases, including multiple sclerosisand type 1 diabetes mellitus, affect about 5% of the worldwidepopulation. In the last decade, reports have accumulated on variousautoimmune disorders, such as idiopathic thrombocytopeniapurpura, myopericarditis, primary ovarian failure, and systemiclupus erythematosus (SLE), following vaccination. In thisreview, we discuss the possible underlying mechanisms of autoimmunereactions following vaccinations and review cases ofautoimmune diseases that have been correlated with vaccination.Molecular mimicry and bystander activation are reported as possiblemechanisms by which vaccines can cause autoimmunereactions. The individuals who might be susceptible to developthese reactions could be especially not only those with previouspost-vaccination phenomena and those with allergies but also inindividuals who are prone to develop autoimmune diseases, suchas those with a family history of autoimmunity or with knownautoantibodies, and the genetic predisposed individuals.Further research is encouraged into the direct associationsbetween vaccines and autoimmune conditions, and the biologicalmechanisms behind them.
Leggi ArticoloVaccines against human papilloma virus (HPV) have been demonstrated to be very effective to prevent infectionrelatedneoplasms. However, several reports describing heterogeneous post-vaccination phenomena have beenpublished in last few years. The spectrum of these disorders includes both immune-mediated neurological diseasesand neuropsychiatric functional disorders. Some researchers speculated about a genetic predisposition, butothers hypothesized a role of adjuvants, including some metals and, particularly, aluminum. Here, we testedsixteen young girls developing somatoform and neurocognitive syndromes after the HPV immunization, throughMELISA® test, detecting cell-mediated hypersensitivity to several metals. We found no association between theseneurocognitive disorders and the results provided by this test; importantly, no patients showed hypersensitivityto aluminum, which is the inorganic adjuvant included in HPV vaccines. Thus, if aluminum played a role in thepathophysiology of musculoskeletal and neurocognitive disturbances occurring in some young girls after HPVimmunization, that should recognize other mechanisms than the activation of aluminum-specific lymphocytes.
Leggi ArticoloHuman papilloma virus (HPV) is recognized as a major cause for cervical cancer among women worldwide. Two HPV vaccines are currently available: Gardasil and Cervarix. Both vaccines enclose viral antigenic proteins, but differ as to the biological systems of culture and the adjuvant components. Recently, a collection of symptoms, indicating nervous system dysfunction, has been described after HPV vaccination. We retrospectively described a case series including 18 girls (aged 12–24 years) referred to our ‘‘Second Opinion Medical Network’’ for the evaluation of ‘‘neuropathywith autonomic dysfunction’’ after HPV vaccination. All girls complained of long-lasting and invalidating somatoform symptoms (including asthenia, headache, cognitive dysfunctions, myalgia, sinus tachycardia and skin rashes) that have developed 1–5 days (n = 11), 5–15 days (n = 5) and 15–20 days (n = 2) after the vaccination. These cases can be included in the recently described immune dysfunction named autoimmune/inflammatory syndrome induced by adjuvants (ASIA). HPV vaccine, through its adjuvant component, is speculated to induce an abnormal activation of theimmune system, involving glia cells in the nervous system too. Further researches should aim at defining the pathological and clinical aspects of these post-vaccination diseases and identifying a genetic background predisposing to these adverse reactions.
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