Antibodies to wheat germ agglutinin in coeliac disease.

Serum IgG and IgA antibodies to wheat germ agglutinin (WGA) were measured by an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) with N-acetyl-D-glucosamine in all incubation steps to inhibit sugar-specific binding. Patients with coeliac disease (CD) had significantly higher antibody levels to WGA than patients with other intestinal disorders or healthy controls. Similar results were obtained for antibodies to the gluten fraction glyc-gli. The WGA antibodies did apparently not cross-react with gluten antigens, but commercial gluten powder contained traces of WGA or a similar lectin. Our findings support the proposal that WGA may be involved in the pathogenesis of CD.