Potential association of anti-gliadin antibodies (IgA and IgG) levels with vulvovaginal candidiasis: a case-control study

Objective.Anti-gliadin antibodies (AGA) detection is a former diagnostic test for celiac disease (CD).This study aimed to determine whether vulvovaginal candidiasis (VVC) can induce AGA production and the significance of AGA in the diagnosis of this disease. Materials and Methods.A case-control study was conducted to consist of 90 subjects in two groups: 50 VVC patients and 40 women without VVC.Swabs were collected from all subjects to diagnose VVC.Serum was analyzed to detect AGA by ELISA assay.Results.Levels of IgG AGA were normal in both groups.Eleven patients had elevated IgA AGA levels.Of the 11 patients, four were very positive (4%), and seven had M a n u s c r i p t a c c e p t e d f o r p u b l i c a t i o n 2 moderate increases in antibody levels (14%).IgA AGA showed 84.76% sensitivity and 90% specificity.The diagnostic cutoff value of IgA AGA for VVC is at 20 U/ml. Conclusions.The low number of positive IgG-AGA detected in the VVC patients suggests that using this immunomarker as a diagnostic tool for this fungal infection needs more confirmation and it's too early to establish a strong correlation between VVC and AGA levels.Confirming such correlation may help differentiate fungal infection in the vagina from the same clinical features caused by other organisms.