Precipitating antibodies against Staphylococcus aureus in serum from patients with staphylococcal osteomyelitis, investigated by means of quantitative immunoelectrophoretic methods.

By means of crossed immunoelectrophoresis, precipitating antibodies against 55 Staphylococcus aureus antigens were investigated in serum from 11 patients with acute osteomyelitis and 47 patients with chronic osteomyelitis. Patients with acute osteomyelitis had an increase antibody response, expressed as a precipitin score, compared to normal persons, while patients with chronic osteomyelitis had an almost normal response. The precipitin score in patients with acute osteomyelitis was significantly higher than in patients with chronic osteomyelitis (p less than 0.01). However, patients with chronic osteomyelitis increased their precipitin score during an active phase of the infection.