title: Significance of non-pathogenic cross reactive bowel flora in patients with ankylosing spondylitis.
abstract: We have previously shown that antisera raised in rabbits to certain enteric cross reactive strains of bacteria are capable of specifically lysing the peripheral blood lymphocytes of HLA-B27 positive patients with ankylosing spondylitis (B27+ AS+). We now report that bacteria with cross reactive antigenic determinants are found in the bowel flora of all of 52 B27+ AS+ patients but in only one of 50 HLA-B27 positive normal controls (B27+ AS-). These organisms are functionally similar to the cross reactive enteric bacteria originally reported. They are not confined to a particular genus or species and their cross reactive serological nature appears to be a property shared by all enteric organisms isolated from B27+ AS+ patients. Organisms with these properties have been shown to persist in the bowel flora of 14 B27+ AS+ patients followed up for more than one year.
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D003429:Cross Reactions; D003601:Cytotoxicity Tests, Immunologic; D004926:Escherichia coli / Q000276:immunology / Q000302:isolation & purification; D005260:Female; D006680:HLA Antigens / Q000276:immunology; D015796:HLA-B27 Antigen; D006801:Humans; D007106:Immune Sera; D007422:Intestines / Q000276:immunology / Q000382:microbiology*; D008214:Lymphocytes / Q000276:immunology; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011514:Proteus vulgaris / Q000302:isolation & purification; D013167:Spondylitis, Ankylosing / Q000276:immunology*
chemical_list: D006680:HLA Antigens; D015796:HLA-B27 Antigen; D007106:Immune Sera