Anti-saccharomyces Cerevisiae Antibodies

Anti-saccharomyces Cerevisiae Antibodies

Anti-Saccharomyces cerevisiae antibodies (ASCA), along with perinuclear antineutrophil cytoplasmic antibodies (pANCA), are among the two most useful and often discriminating markers for colitis. ASCA tends to recognize Crohn's disease more frequently, whereas pANCA tend to recognize ulcerative colitis.

ASCA antibodies react to the following yeast proteins

• Mannans
  • 200 kDA glycoprotein.

Diseases in which ASCA are found:

• Behçet's disease - The association with ASCA is not generally strong, but increased in patients with gastrointestinal symptoms.
• Celiac disease
• Colitis
  • Ulcerative colitis-familial.
  • Microscopic colitis
    • Collagenous colitis
• Crohn's disease

Intestinal yeast and ASCA+. Intestinal yeast infections are seen in malabsorptive diseases like coeliac disease. In Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis the presence of intestinal S. cerevisiae is rare, but the association with irritiable bowel in coeliac disease remains unstudied.