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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