Placental Transfer of Anticytoplasmic Antibodies in Annular Erythema of Newborns

• Autoantibodies against cytoplasmic antigens SS-A and SS-B were found in the serum samples of a mother with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) and her two children. Both infants were healthy at birth, but centrifugal annular erythema developed on their faces and extremities five to seven weeks later. The skin lesions disappeared, and the antibodies were no longer detectable before the age of 4 months. The annular erythema was considered to be an immunoreactive process of autoimmune origin. (Arch Dermatol1981;117:569-572)