Testing for Anti-Human Transglutaminase Antibodies in Saliva Is Not Useful for Diagnosis of Celiac Disease

In conclusion, because of its low sensitivity, saliva is not a useful source of CD-related autoantibodies for diagnostic purposes. However, salivary IgA anti-htTG antibodies may offer promise in studies on differences between the aerodigestive tract and the gut in the gluten-dependent mucosal immune response. In particular, the phage display library technique (12) allows study of the differences between autoantibodies to tTG originating from the intestinal and oral mucosa of CD patients with respect to antibody V chain family usage and antigen-driven somatic hypermutation.