AN ACTIVE FOCUS OF HIGH PREVALENCE OF FOGO-SELVAGEM ON AN AMERINDIAN RESERVATION IN BRAZIL

Fogo Selvagem (FS) is an autoimmune disease characterized by subcornea l vesicles and antidesmoglein-1 autoantibodies. Previous epidemiologic data have linked the onset of FS to exposure to an environmental anti gen(s), This investigation describes a unique human settlement with an extraordinarily high prevalence of FS, This community is made up of A merindians belonging to the Terena tribe, which has settled on the Lim ao Verde reservation in the state of Mate Grosso do Sul in Brazil, Twe nty-six well-characterized FS cases have been identified within a tota l population of 998, yielding a prevalence of 2.6%, Seventeen of the p atients (65%) were males, and over 50% were older than 30 y of age. Th e incidence of the disease shows temporal periodicity, i.e., years wit h several cases of FS alternating with years with no cases. Over one-h alf of the cases occurred in genetically related family members. Anoth er Terena reservation, the Ipegue/Taunay, located 90 km west of the Li mao Verde reservation, was also evaluated as a control group, This res ervation, with a population of 2203, had no recorded cases of FS, Thus , the Limao Verde reservation represents a new focus of FS in which th e disease exhibits temporal, geographic, and familial clustering, Thes e results suggest that the environmental antigen or antigens precipita ting FS are endemic to the Limao Verde reservation, This reservation a ppears to be an ideal population for carrying out sero-epidemiologic, genetic, and environmental studies aimed at disclosing the etiology of FS.