[Clinical immunology in rheumatology].

When the Institute of Rheumatology, USSR Ministry of Health, was founded, its first director Academician A. I. Nesterov set up an immunological laboratory to attack the problems of immunodiagnosis and pathogenesis of rheumatism. Since 1958 studies of systemic diseases of connective tissue and autoimmunity under the supervision of Prof. V. A. Nasonova have been under way. Radioisotopic, enzyme immunofluorescence diagnostic assays for antinuclear antibodies (ANA) have been developed. Jointly with Czechoslovakia and the USA, the Institute of Rheumatology standardized the definitions of ANA. The laboratory have proposed the guidelines of the USSR Ministry of Health for immunodiagnosis of rheumatic diseases (RD). For immunodiagnosis, immunofluorescence, enzyme immunoassays, gel precipitation, back electrophoresis, radial immunodiffusion are widely used to measure the concentrations of anticardiolipin antibodies, mitochondrial antibodies, neutrophilic antibodies. The clinical and immunological subtypes of diffuse connective tissue diseases have been identified and characterized. Mixed connective tissue disease, poststreptococcal arthritis are described. The laboratory equipment for polymerase chain reaction permits DNA diagnosis.