Immunological Study of Cytomegalovirus in the Serum of Iraqi Patients with Celiac Disease

Abstract Background: Human cytomegalovirus (HCMV) is one of the important viruses involved in the progression of autoimmune diseases affecting the gastrointestinal system. Objectives: This study was conducted to evaluate the immune status of celiac disease (CD) with cytomegalovirus (CMV). Materials and Methods: This study included 68 subjects with suspected CD, which was collected during the period extent from January 2024 to March 2024. The immune status was evaluated using the enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) test to determine anti-Ttg A, anti-Ttg G, anti-gliadin IgA, and anti-gliadin IgG as well as anti-CMV IgM/IgG. Results: The results of the present study showed that 22 cases of CD were confirmed, with significantly higher percentages of positive results (18.2%, 68.2%) for patients compared to the control groups (2.2%, 13%) according to anti-gliadin A/G, respectively. Moreover, the level of anti-HCMV IgG antibodies in the serum samples of patients suffering from CD revealed significant differences of 3.39 ± 1.12 and 2.51 ± 0.835 between the patient and the control groups, respectively. Conclusion: It could be concluded that CMV infection may be involved in CD in terms of factors that stimulate or enhance autoimmunity or in the immunosuppressive state of the disease. Thus, CMV is a major contributor to the increased incidence of CD and likely worsens the prognosis of the disease.