Autoantibodies in sera of influenza patients.

Sera of the influenza patients and healthy controls were tested for some types of autoantibody (SMA, ANA, ABBA, AMA). They were detected in 83.8% of the patients' sera and in 16.6% of controls. SMA were present in 77.4%, ANA in 54.8%, and ABBA in 16.1% of the patient's sera. AMA were not detected. A majority of the sera contained more than one autoantibody type. The possible mechanisms of induction of the autoantibodies in virus infection and their possible role in disease are briefly discussed.