Autoantibodies to the mitotic spindle apparatus in Mycoplasma pneumoniae disease

Abstract

Antibodies to the mitotic spindle apparatus (MS) have been detected in only a very few patient sera studied for antinuclear antibodies by routine screening (G.A. McCarty, D.W. Velencia, and M.J. Fritzler, J. Rheumatol. 11:213-218, 1984). We found that anti-MS antibodies to be quite common in sera from patients with Mycoplasma pneumoniae, especially is those who developed cold agglutinins (71%). Absorption experiments indicated that the formation of anti-MS antibodies is not triggered by epitopes on the M. pneumoniae surface. These antibodies were distinct from cold agglutinins, antibrain antibodies, and smooth muscle antibodies. All patients previously reported to harbor anti-MS had clinical features compatible with a diagnosis of systemic lupus erythematosus, rheumatoid arthritis, or an evolving connective-tissue disorder. Such systemic disorders might develop in a small proportion of patients who have had M. pneumoniae illness.