Association between reactive arthritis and antecedent infection with Shigella flexneri carrying a 2-Md plasmid and encoding an HLA-B27 mimetic epitope.
OBJECTIVE
To determine whether Shigella flexneri strains that cause enteric infection and are associated with reactive arthritis (ReA) carry a 2-Md plasmid, pHS-2, which encodes an HLA-B27 mimetic epitope.


METHODS
Plasmid DNA from Shigella isolates was characterized by DNA-DNA hybridization, restriction endonuclease digestion, and sequencing.


RESULTS
S flexneri strains associated with ReA carried a 2-Md plasmid homologous to pHS-2.


CONCLUSIONS
The finding of pHS-2 in additional Shigella strains associated with ReA underscores its potential importance in the etiology of the disease.
Stieglitz
H
H
Department of Internal Medicine, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas 75235-8884.
Lipsky
P
P
D016918:Arthritis, Reactive; D001483:Base Sequence; D004262:DNA Restriction Enzymes; D004269:DNA, Bacterial / Q000235:genetics; D004405:Dysentery, Bacillary / Q000235:genetics*; D000939:Epitopes; D015796:HLA-B27 Antigen / Q000235:genetics* / Q000276:immunology*; D006801:Humans; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D009693:Nucleic Acid Hybridization; D010957:Plasmids; D000091402:Prohibitins; D012689:Sequence Homology, Nucleic Acid; D012760:Shigella / Q000235:genetics; D012763:Shigella flexneri / Q000235:genetics*
D004269:DNA, Bacterial; D000939:Epitopes; D015796:HLA-B27 Antigen; C000717331:PHB2 protein, human; D000091402:Prohibitins; D004262:DNA Restriction Enzymes