Cardiac specific antigen and antibody in immunopathogenesis of cardiac disease.

Antibody to human cardiac extracts was detected in the sera of many patients undergoing open heart surgery. A passive hemagglutination assay using cardiac extracts as antigen coated onto erythrocytes showed the development of cardiac antibody in the patients, with peak titers usually one to three weeks after the surgery. Radioimmunoassay revealed the presence of cardiac specific myoglobin antigen antigen in the sera of many patients, with peak levels 1-3 days after the procedure. A correlation was observed between development of circulating serum antibody and appearance of cardiac myoglobin antigen. These results support the view that immunologic disease related to release of cardiac antigen in patients undergoing heart surgery may be a factor in post-cardiotomy disease.