Coincidence of antibodies against Hwp1 and ASCA, two distinct molecular targets of Candida albicans , reinforces the link between this fungal species and coeliac disease

is an immunogen for anti- antibodies (ASCA), a serological marker of Crohn's disease. ASCA has also been reported in other autoimmune diseases, including coeliac disease (CeD). A strong antibody response against Hwp1, a protein associated with invasive hyphal form of which presents peptide sequence homologies with gliadin, has also been described in CeD. This observation supports the hypothesis that hyphal transition in may trigger CeD onset through a mechanism of molecular/antigenic mimicry. In this study, we assessed whether the anti- oligomannose and anti-Hwp1 protein responses may be linked despite their different pathophysiological significance. The measurement of ASCA levels in a cohort of patients involved in our previous Hwp1 study showed a significant correlation between the two biomarkers. This new observation further reinforces the link between and CeD.