Further Studies on Mycoplasma in Rheumatoid Arthritis

Summary

Eight specimens of synovium and 19 of joint fluid from 27 patients with rheumatoid arthritis were studied on cell-free media. In most cases the clinical diagnosis was definite RA. A mycoplasma was isolated in all cases. Eight specimens showed tiny colonies in the primary culture, eleven in the first passage, seven in the second passage and one in the third passage. The isolated strains required sterol for their growth and did not convert to bacteria when penicillin and thallium acetate were omitted. Twelve specimens from patients with traumatic joint lesions studied concurrently by the same technique were negative for mycoplasma.

Immune ascites prepared in mice against 19 isolates inhibited the growth of M. arthritidis and strain 20-P. By IHA technique 421 sera with a Waaler-Rose titer of 128 or higher were studied, using as antigen the isolate 176-M.