Demonstration of antibodies to double-stranded DNA by the Crithidia luciliae immunofluorescence test.
All of 627 sera positive for antinuclear antibodies (ANA) among 1,862 sera received during a three-month-period for routine examination of ANA were tested for antibodies to native double stranded (ds) DNA by the Crithidia luciliae kinetoplast immunofluorescence test. Eighty-seven (14%) of the ANA-positive sera had antibodies to dsDNA. These sera were derived from 73 patients. Forty out of 73 patients with dsDNA antibodies in their sera had the clinical diagnosis SLE. Among the other 33 patients there were eight cases diagnosed as rheumatoid arthritis, one case of psoriatic arthritis, four cases of unclassified arthritis, one case of polymyalgia rheumatica, five cases of chronic hepatitis, three cases of chronic glomerulonephritis and 11 cases with various other disorders. Antibodies to dsDNA, even at high titre, were demonstrated both in patients with clinically active and in patients with clinically inactive SLE.
D000818:Animals; D000974:Antibodies, Antinuclear / Q000032:analysis*; D000918:Antibody Specificity; D003421:Crithidia / Q000276:immunology*; D004247:DNA / Q000276:immunology*; D004272:DNA, Mitochondrial / Q000276:immunology; D005455:Fluorescent Antibody Technique; D006801:Humans; D008180:Lupus Erythematosus, Systemic / Q000276:immunology*
D000974:Antibodies, Antinuclear; D004272:DNA, Mitochondrial; D004247:DNA