Antibodies to staphylococcal lipoteichoic acid in serum and in cerebrospinal fluid from patients with multiple sclerosis.

Antibodies to staphylococcal lipoteichoic acid (LTA) were determined in serum and in cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) from a group of patients with multiple sclerosis (MS) and a group of healthy individuals. Sera from 11 out of 74 MS patients, i.e. 15 per cent, contained precipitating antibodies demonstrated by the double diffusion in agar test, compared to 48 out of 94 control sera, i.e. 51 per cent. By using an indirect haemagglutination test, antibodies to LTA were found in all sera from both patients and controls. On the other hand, LTA antibodies were detected in a higher proportion of the CSF samples from MS patients than from controls. A reduced serum to CSF ration of LTA antibodies compared with the ratio for a reference antibody was demonstrated in 7 out of 10 MS patients, suggesting a local synthesis within the central nervous system. Absorption of seven MS CSF samples with LTA removed one to three of the cathodic oligoclonal IgG bands demonstrated by agarose electrophoresis and reduced the IgG concentration.