title: Bacteriological and molecular assessment of staphylococcal enterotoxin e in the blood of patients with rheumatoid arthritis.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is the most common chronic inflammatory disease of unknown etiology. In this regard, the role of bacterial superantigens (as an effective agent) were considered.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  This study aimed to assess staphylococcal enterotoxin E in the blood of patients with rheumatoid arthritis.
  
  
  METHODS
  A total of 83 blood samples of patients with RA were studied. All of patient's blood samples have been cultured. Polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and ELISA methods have been used to assess the existence of staphylococcal enterotoxin E (entE). The data were analyzed through descriptive statistics.
  
  
  RESULTS
  During this study and after sequential sub cultures, only 5 bacterial strains were isolated. Based on the results of biochemical tests, just one case was detected as Staphylococcus aureus. The result of molecular diagnosis of enterotoxin E gene was 13.25%. The results of ELISA were 40.96% positive for staphylococcal enterotoxin E.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  In this study, staphylococcal enterotoxin E (superantigen E) was detected in the blood of patients with RA, but its origin is unknown, because no staphylococcus enterotoxin E producer was isolated. This finding could provide a good model for the diagnosis and treatment of RA. However, the results of this study have shown some evidence regarding endogenous origin of involved superantigens in patients with rheumatoid arthritis.
authors: Department of Microbiology, Faculty of Sciences, Karaj Branch, Islamic Azad University, Karaj, IR Iran.
authors: Samaneh
authors: S
authors: Zahiri Yeganeh
authors: Department of Medical Microbiology, Faculty of Medicine, Baqiyatallah University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, IR Iran.
authors: Ramezan Ali
authors: RA
authors: Ataee
authors: Department of Rheumatology, Faculty of Medicine, Baqiyatallah University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, IR Iran.
authors: Gholam Hossein
authors: GH
authors: Alishiri
authors: Department of Microbiology, Faculty of Sciences, Karaj Branch, Islamic Azad University, Karaj, IR Iran.
authors: Monireh
authors: M
authors: Movahedi
keywords: Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay; Polymerase Chain Reaction; Rheumatoid Arthritis; Staphylococcus aureus; Superantigen