AI Article Synopsis
- A study involving 1,343 rheumatic patients found that 76% had high levels of antibodies to streptococcus L forms during acute illness, which dropped rapidly as they improved.
- In cases of chronic rheumatism, 70% of patients maintained high antibody levels, primarily IgM, which do not inhibit the growth of L forms.
- Only 18-25% of patients had detectable streptococcus L form antigens, likely due to them being bound in immune complexes, suggesting that these L forms can persist in the body and influence disease progression in rheumatic patients.
Article Abstract
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%. It is suggested that streptococcal L forms are capable of prolonged persistence in the body, affecting the course of disease in rheumatic patients; possible persistence of L forms as part of immune complexes is of particular importance.
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