[The antibody titer to streptococcal and staphylococcal L-form in Behçet's disease].

The antibody titer to streptococcal and staphylococcal L-form was determined in the serum of Behçet's disease by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. These L-form bacteria were induced by the penicillin disk method. In 12 patients with Behçet's disease, the antibody titer to streptococcal L-form was significantly lower than that in the 14 normal controls by Student's t-test (p less than 0.025). The antibody titer to staphylococcal L-form, however, showed no statistical difference between the patients and the controls. In Behçet's disease, antibody formation to streptococcus pyogenes, as well as its L-form, may be specifically disturbed.