[Serologic indices of the persistence of L forms of group A streptococci in patients with rheumatism].

A study of 1343 rheumatic patients has shown that during acute disease high titres of antibodies to streptococcus L forms were detected in 76%, and were declining rapidly with clinical improvement. In protracted rheumatism, high antibody titres were maintained constantly in 70%; those were mostly IgM, incapable of blocking L-form growth. The antigen of streptococcus L form was only detected in 18-25% of the patients, obviously because it was bound to circulating immune complexes in 64%.

[Detection of Mycoplasma antigens (Mycoplasma arthritidis and Mycoplasma fermentans) in the tissues of experimentally infected animals by using indirect immunofluorescence and aggregate-hemagglutination reactions].

The analysis of the results obtained in the detection of mycoplasmic antigens in tissues of infected rabbits by means of the immunofluorescence test and the aggregate hemagglutination test, carried out in parallel, indicates that both these tests are highly specific, while the immunofluorescence test is more sensitive.

[Persistence of Mycoplasma arthritidis in the body of mice of different strains].

Mice belonging to 3 strains were shown to differ greatly in their sensitivity to M. arthritidis. This organism persisted for a year in (C57BL/6 X A/Sn)F1 mice, for 6 weeks in BALB/c mice and for 1-3 weeks in C57BL/6 mice.

[Indication of mycoplasmas in the synovial fluid of rheumatoid arthritis patients].

Specimens of synovial fluid taken from patients with rheumatoid arthritis were tested for the presence of mycoplasmas and mycoplasmic antigens. In 30% of cases the direct inoculation into cell-free media permitted the detection of mycoplasma-like agents which could not be subcultured on solid media for identification. Mycoplasmic antigens were detected in the tested material with the same frequency by means of the immunofluorescence test.