Evidence for pseudomonas antigen in immune complexes in pseudomonas osteomyelitis

✍ Scribed by Daniel W. Rahn; Allen C. Steere; Robert L. Grodzicki; Joseph H. Levine; John A. Hardin

• Publisher: John Wiley and Sons
• Year: 1982
• Tongue: English
• Weight: 520 KB
• Volume: 25
• Category: Article
• ISSN: 0004-3591
• DOI: 10.1002/art.1780251203

✦ Synopsis

Abstract

In infections associated with immune complex disease, microbial antigens have rarely been found in the complexes. Using an enzyme‐linked immunoassay, we studied the immune complexes of a patient who had hematogenous Pseudomonas aeruginosa osteomyelitis associated with palpable purpura, arthritis, and microscopic hematuria. After separation of the complexes into high and low molecular weight fractions, a 6hyphen;fold selective concentration of P aeruginosa antibody was found in the low molecular weight fraction compared with the concentration in the serum. Following disruption of immunoglobulin, the high molecular weight fraction competed with solid‐phase P aeruginosa antigen for P aeruginosa antibody from another source. After successful treatment of the infection, the patient's symptoms resolved, and the complexes disappeared. These findings strongly suggest that immune complexes in this patient contained P aeruginosa antigen and antibody that may have been pathogenetic in his disease.