Induction of DNA synthesis in lymphocytes in vitro by various bacteria, with special reference to Neisseria gonorrhoeae, in patients with uro-arthritis (Reiter's disease).

Antigen-induced lymphocyte proliferation was studied by quantitation of 14C-thymidine uptake in cell cultures. The induction of DNA synthesis in vitro in lymphocytes from patients with uro-arthritis after stimulation by whole cells of virulent and avirulent N. gonorrhoeae, meningococci group B, and apathogenic Neisseria (N. pharyngis) was compared with the DNA synthesis in lymphocytes from healthy controls after stimulation with the same Neisseria antigens. The difference between patients and the controls was found to be highly significant after stimulation with virulent or avirulent N. gonorrhoeae organisms but not after stimulation with apathogenic Neisseria. An analysis of the correlation of the lymphocyte reactivity to all the Neisseria antigens showed a highly significant correlation between the response of uro-arthritis patients to the two types of gonococcal antigen (0.932*** and 0.859***), a lower correlation coefficient for group B meningococci and virulent or avirulent gonococci (0.724*** and 0.714***) and no correlation at all between apathogenic Neisseria and gonococci. The DNA synthesis in lymphocytes stimulated by N. gonorrhoeae and other Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria was also studied in cell cultures obtained from other healthy controls as well as uro-arthritis patients. There was no significant difference between the patients and the controls with regard to the response to apathogenic Neisseria and other non-Neisseria antigens.