Anti-hsp60 antibody responses based on Helicobacter pylori in patients with multiple sclerosis: (ir)Relevance to disease pathogenesis

• Helicobacter pylori has been considered a potential trigger of multiple sclerosis
• Microbial heat shock proteins have been implicated in the induction of multiple sclerosis
• Antibodies against H. pylori are more elevated in patients with multiple sclerosis compared to controls
• Anti-heat shock 60 antibody responses are present in all anti-H. pylori positive patients with multiple sclerosis
• Anti-hsp60 Hp seropositivity correlates with age and age at disease onset in patients with multiple sclerosis

In view of published data suggesting that Helicobacter pylori (Hp) is a trigger of multiple sclerosis (MS), we assessed anti-heat shock protein 60 (hsp60)Hp antibody reactivity in 129 MS patients and 48 demograpically-matched healthy controls (HCs). Anti-Hp antibodies by ELISA were more elevated in MS than HCs but did not differ between different MS phenotypes. All anti-Hp-positive MS sera, irrespectively of their clinical phenotype, were anti-anti-hsp60 positive. Anti-hsp60 Hp seropositivity correlated with age at disease onset. In conclusion, anti-hsp60 Hp antibodies are present in all anti-Hp positive MS patients, and their relevance to disease pathogenesis is questionable.

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