[Incidence and diagnostic significance of reactive syphilis antibodies in systemic lupus erythematodes and other immunologic diseases]. / Häufigkeit und diagnostische Bedeutung reaktiver Syphilisantikörper bei systemischem Lupus erythematodes und anderen Immunerkrankungen.

Serum samples of 78 patients with systemic lupus erythematosus, systemic sclerosis and other immunological diseases were tested for antibodies to syphilis. Reactive or weak reactive results were observed in 10% by means of the treponema pallidum hemagglutination (TPHA) test, in 27% by the FTA-Abs test, in 40% applying the IgM-FTA-Abs test, in 10% by the VDRL test and in 3% of the cases using the cardiolipin CF test. Only in 3 patients (4%) we found an antibody pattern characteristic of syphilitic patients (TPHA and FTA-Abs test simultaneously undoubtedly reactive). Neither the comparative qualitative and quantitative determination of antibodies to ANA, nDNS and ENA (extractable salinesoluble nuclear antigen) nor elimination of nDNS and ENA antibodies, or incubation of the treponemal test antigen with DNase lead to a conclusion whether the reactive results of the TPHA, FTA-Abs, and IgM-FTA-Abs tests specifically indicate a syphilitic infection. The low incidence of reactive syphilis tests in SLE and the presence of syphilitic antibodies in other immunological diseases limitate the significance for the criterium in the diagnosis of SLE.

[Comparison of 4 methods (immunofluorescence of antinuclear antibodies, indirect hemagglutination, immunodiffusion, counterimmunoelectrophoresis) for the differentiation and identification of nuclear antigen]. / Vergleich der Eignung von vier Methoden (Immunfluoreszenz antinukleärer Antikörper, indirekte Hämagglutination, Immundiffusion, Gegenstromimmunelektrophorese) zur Differenzierung und Identifizierung von nukleäres Antigen.

The performance of four methods (immunofluorescence of antinucleic antibodies (ANA), indirect haemagglutination, immunodiffusion and counterimmunoelectrophoresis) in the detection and differentiation of the antibodies against extractable nucleic antigen (ENA) was analysed with the aid of sera from 197 patients suffering from inflammatory diseases. Counterimmunoelectrophoresis showed the highest sensitivity and specificity for the detection and differentiation of antibodies against ribonucleoproteins (RNP), nuclear glycoprotein (Sm) and antibodies, which occur in Sicca (Sjögren) syndrome (SS-B, Ha). This method, like immunodiffusion, is suitable for demonstrating the common immunological identity of the ENA-antibody sera and the reference sera. The proof of immunological identity using the counterimmunoelectrophoresis was performed with the newly developed test system (pool procedure). This method, as compared to the procedure of Kurata & Tan ((1976) Arthritis Rheum. 19, 574-580) has certain technical advantages, and gives better identification.