Why the study?
Are antibodies to streptococcal M protein, cardiac myosin, and cardiac tropomyosin elevated in patients with acute rheumatic fever compared to non-ARF patients?
Are antibodies to streptococcal M protein, cardiac myosin, and cardiac tropomyosin elevated in patients with acute rheumatic fever compared to non-ARF patients?
Antibodies to streptococcal M protein, cardiac myosin, and cardiac tropomyosin may not play a central role in the induction of acute rheumatic fever.
Questions central role of these antibodies in ARF; leaves open alternative mechanisms for targeted investigation.
Archived sera (collected in 1946) from acute rheumatic fever (ARF) and untreated scarlet fever and/or pharyngitis patients were reacted with streptococcal M protein, cardiac myosin, and cardiac tropomyosin. Except for very low levels to tropomyosin, antibodies to other antigens were not elevated in the sera of ARF patients relative to those of non-ARF patients, even though there was roughly equivalent exposure to group A streptococci. This suggests that antibodies to these molecules may not play a central role in the induction of ARF.
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Jones et al. (2000) studied this question.
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