Antigenic mimicry of mammalian intermediate filaments by mycoplasmas.

A murine monoclonal antibody raised against Mycoplasma hyorhinis specifically reacted by indirect immunofluorescence with mammalian intermediate filaments. The antibody recognized a related epitope on a 74,000-molecular-weight protein of M. hyorhinis and on components of similar size from other pathogenic mycoplasmas. This defines a shared antigenic structure of interest in autoantibody development during mycoplasmal diseases.