Intradermal Tests and Antinuclear Factors in Systemic Lupus Erythematosus

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Abstract
Intradermal tests using homologous leukocytes, calf thymus histone, calf thymus nucleoprotein, and calf thymus DNA, and tests for serum antinuclear factors (ANF) by the indirect immunofluorescent technique, were carried out on 25 patients with [systemic hipus erythematosus] SLE. Twenty-four patients were positive to leukocytes, 21 to calf thymus nucleoprotein, 23 to calf thymus histone, and 12 to calf thymus DNA. Thirty-five control subjects were negative to all tests. The skin test results were correlated with ANF patterns and with the clinical status of the patients. The twelve patients with a positive reaction to intradermal calf thymus DNA had active SLE, and their sera exhibited shaggy ANF pattern. The thirteen patients with a negative reaction to intradermal calf thymus DNA were clinically inactive, and their sera showed only the homogeneous pattern. These findings suggest that positive reactions to intradermal calf thymus DNA correlate well with shaggy ANF pat terns, and clinically with the presence of active SLE. In trader ma 1 testing was also performed on 6 patients with discoid lupus. Four patients who later showed manifestations of dissemination but who were still LE cell negative, reacted positively to most of the intradermal tests. The other 2 patients did not develop systemic manifestations and had negative reactions to all intradermal tests.