[The characteristics of the immune response to the polysaccharide determinants of Streptococcus group A in rheumatism].

As shown in this study, the formation of antibodies, at least, to the determinants (DT) of polysaccharide of group A streptococcus (A-PS), common with epidermal antigens, occurs in rheumatic fever. Two DT include N-acetylglucosamine; DT common with epidermal basal cell antigen (DT-1) and DT common with antigen of the perinuclear zone of the cytoplasm of cells of differentiated layers (DT-2). Two other DT seem to contain only rhamnose; DT common with the cytoplasm of cells of differentiated layers (DT-3) and DT common with epidermal antigen, characteristic of the cytoplasm of cells of all epidermal layers (DT-4). Conclusion has been made that the presence of autoantibodies to epidermal basal cell antigens, common with DT-1 and DT-4 of A-PS, may serve as an additional indicator of the activity of the rheumatic process. Autoantibodies to cross-reacting DT-4 of A-PS are indicative of the chronization of the process with a tendency to relapses of rheumatic fever.