Elevation of D8/17-positive B lymphocytes in only a minority of Dutch patients with post-streptococcal reactive arthritis (PSRA): a pilot study
Open Access
- 1 October 2002
- journal article
- research article
- Published by Oxford University Press (OUP) in Rheumatology
- Vol. 41 (10) , 1202-1203
- https://doi.org/10.1093/rheumatology/41.10.1202
Abstract
Sir, The last decennium has witnessed a resurgence of reactive arthritis secondary to infection with β‐haemolytic group A streptococci (GAS) [1]. Nowadays, post‐streptococcal reactive arthritis (PSRA) is recognized as a clinical syndrome distinct from the classic acute rheumatic fever (ARF) [2–5]. The major differences between ARF and PSRA are the predominant age of occurrence and the relative risk of developing carditis. Genetic studies reveal differences in the association of HLA DRB1*01 and HLA DRB1*16 with ARF vs PSRA.6 These HLA alleles may represent an individual's genetic susceptibility factor for developing a humoral hyper‐responsiveness secondary to GAS: the elevated D8/17 binding to B lymphocytes in vitro occurs with a high frequency (63–100%) in ARF and has therefore been proposed as a susceptibility marker for ARF [7–10]. Here we report preliminary data on the binding of monoclonal antibody (mAb) D8/17 to B lymphocytes in a series of Dutch PSRA patients.Keywords
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