ABSTRACT
Lymphocyte transformation tests to Yersinia enterocolitica 0:3 and 0:6, Klebsiella pneumoniae and Streptococcus faecalis antigens have been carried out in ankylosing spondylitis, reactive arthritis/Reiter's disease and controls. Ankylosing spondylitis cases gave significantly lower responses than reactive arthritis/Reiter's to Yersinia enterocolitica 0:6 (p = 0.003) and Klebsiella pneumoniae (p = 0.008), and less than controls to S. faecalis (p = 0.008). It appears, therefore, that within the B27 arthritis population there is heterogeneity of cell-mediated response to certain enteric bacteria, with the hyporesponders manifesting ankylosing spondylitis and the hyper-responders reactive arthritis/Reiter's disease.
Subject(s)
Antigens, Bacterial/immunology , Arthritis/immunology , HLA Antigens/analysis , Adult , Arthritis, Reactive/immunology , Enterococcus faecalis/immunology , Female , HLA-B27 Antigen , Humans , Immunity, Cellular , Klebsiella pneumoniae/immunology , Lymphocyte Activation , Male , Middle Aged , Spondylitis, Ankylosing/immunology , Yersinia enterocolitica/immunologyABSTRACT
Many bacteria can survive for days or weeks at temperatures of 4 degrees or 22 degrees C in medium containing 15% (v/v) glycerol as a cryoprotectant. This observation suggests that breakdown of refrigeration for a short time may not be a serious danger to survival of cultures stored frozen in such media.
