Atypical Fluorescence in the Fluorescent Treponemal-Antibody-Absorption (FTA-ABS) Test Related to Deoxyribonucleic Acid (DNA) Antibodies

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Abstract
Two distinct patterns of fluorescent treponemal-antibody-absorption (FTA-ABS) test fluorescence have been observed in sera from certain presumably nonsyphilitic patients with lupus erythematosus (LE); the entire Treponema pallidum antigen fluoresces (homogeneous pattern), or intermittent beads of fluorescence are present along the length of the treponeme (beaded pattern). In LE sera, the factor responsible for the homogeneous pattern was an IgG antibody occurring in titers up to 1:1280. Antibodies that produced the beaded pattern were present in similar titers, but they were distributed among immunoglobulin classes IgG, IgA and IgM. The occurrence of beaded FTA-ABS fluorescence was statistically associated with the presence of anti-nucleoprotein, anti-DNA and LE cell factors. The reaction that results in beaded FTA-ABS fluorescence was inhibited by incubating sera with DNA or nucleoprotein or by treating the T. pallidum antigen with DNAase. Anti-DNA antibody therefore appears to be responsible for the beaded FTA-ABS fluorescence reactions with sera from certain LE patients.

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