PEDIATRICS Vol. 3 No. 4 April 1949, pp. 482-503
This Article
Right arrow Full Text (PDF)
Right arrow P3Rs: Submit a response
Right arrow Alert me when this article is cited
Right arrow Alert me when P3Rs are posted
Right arrow Alert me if a correction is posted
Services
Right arrow E-mail this article to a friend
Right arrow Similar articles in this journal
Right arrow Alert me to new issues of the journal
Right arrow Add to My File Cabinet
Right arrow Download to citation manager
Right arrow reprints & permissions
Citing Articles
Right arrow Citing Articles via CrossRef
Right arrow Citing Articles via Google Scholar
Google Scholar
Right arrow Articles by HARRIS, T. N.
Right arrow Articles by NAGLE, R. L.
Right arrow Search for Related Content
PubMed
Right arrow Articles by HARRIS, T. N.
Right arrow Articles by NAGLE, R. L.

STUDIES IN THE RELATION OF THE HEMOLYTIC STREPTOCOCCUS TO RHEUMATIC FEVER

VI. Comparison of Streptococcal Antihyaluronidase with Antibodies to Other Streptococcal Antigens in the Serum of Patients with Rheumatic Fever and Acute Streptococcal Infection: Mucin Clot Prevention Test

T. N. HARRIS M.D.1, SUSANNA HARRIS PH.D.2, and RUTH L. NAGLE 3

1 The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia (Department of Pediatrics, School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania)
2 The Philadelphia General Hospital, Philadelphia, Pa.
3 The Children's Seashore House for Invalid Children, Atlantic City, N.J.

Titrations of antibodies to four streptococcal antigens have been carried out in the sera of patients with rheumatic fever and of convalescents from streptococcal infections. These antigens are the hyaluronidase, the hemolysin, and two somatic fractions, the cytoplasmic particles and supernate proteins.

Mean titers to all of these antigens were elevated in both rheumatic and streptococcal infection. The mean titer was somewhat higher in rheumatic than in streptococcal infection in the case of three of these antibodies. In the case of the fourth, antihyaluronidase, this difference was considerably greater.

The antihyaluronidase titer showed better correlation with changes in the activity of the rheumatic infection than did the other tests. There was, however, no striking correlation between this titer and the severity of the illness.

Application was made of these findings to the problem of laboratory diagnosis of rheumatic fever by streptococcal serology. A method is presented for assessing the relative usefulness of such tests in terms of the, distribution of their titers in this disease and in health. By this method the antihyaluronidase test was found to be most useful of the four.

The comparative diagnostic value for rheumatic fever was studied in the case of the antihyaluronidase test, the antistreptolysin test, and of combinations of both tests.

Submitted on July 26, 1948