Distribution of antibodies against Coxsackie B viruses, arboviruses and Toxoplasma gondii among patients with endomyocardial fibrosis (EMF) compared with normal subjects from EMF endemic and non-endemic zones of Nigeria.

The sera of eight endomyocardial fibrosis (EMF) subjects, 11 siblings of one of them and 16 normal children matched with the EMF patients for age, sex and socio-economic status from Ogunmakin and Shao/Oloru communities (eight each), situated in EMF-endemic and non-endemic areas of Nigeria respectively, were examined for the presence of antibodies against Coxsackie viruses B1-6, 16 arboviruses and Toxoplasma gondii. Sera from 36 other randomly selected normal children from Ogunmakin and 26 other randomly selected children from Shao/Oloru were also tested for the presence of antibodies against Toxoplasma gondii and the 16 arboviruses. None of the eight EMF subjects nor the 11 siblings of one of them had antibodies against any of the Coxsackie viruses B1-6 in their sera. Two of the 16 matched control subjects, one from each community, had positive antibodies, at equivocal titres against Coxsackie B1 (Ogunmakin) and B4 (Shao/Oloru). There was no significant difference in the distribution of antibody titres to the arboviruses between the EMF patients and matched controls. Normal children from the Shao/Oloru community had higher percentage antibody reactions and higher titres to the arboviruses compared with the children from Ogunmakin. All the eight EMF patients had high antibody titres against Toxoplasma gondii. Seven (87.5%) of the matched controls from Ogunmakin were sero-positive for Toxoplasma gondii compared with three (37.5%) of the matched controls from Shao/Oloru. Of the 36 normal children from Ogunmakin, 32 (88.9%) were sero-positive compared with 11 (42.3%) of the 26 normal children from Shao/Oloru. Four (36.4%) of the 11 siblings of one of the EMF patients had weak sero-positivity. It is therefore concluded that further studies are needed to clarify the role, if any, of Toxoplasma gondii in EMF.