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Cross-Reacting and Monotypic T Antigens of Nephritogenic Pyoderma Streptococci: The Type 56 System

From the Section of Infectious Diseases, Department of Medicine, University of Tennessee College of Medicine, Memphis, Tennessee 38103

Abstract

T antigens of "skin strains" of group A streptococci represent important epidemiologic markers for the study of acute glomerulonephritis. Although "skin strains" react with standard reference antisera to T-type antigens, agglutination reactions are in the form of "patterns," indicating cross-reactivity with several reference antisera. "Skin strains" have been difficult to identify with available anti-M protein-typing sera because many of these strains appear to belong to M-types hitherto unrecognized. We isolated a new nephritogenic pyoderma type, M56, in which T antigens produced many confusing cross-reactions with standard reference sera. M56 strains cross-reacted characteristically with the common "skin" pattern, 3/13/B3264, but also with reference T28 antiserum. It was possible to remove selectively the cross-reactive type 56 antibody without affecting reactions of the reference sera with their homologous serotypes. We then set out to determine whether such "new" strains have their own unique T antigen by which they could readily be identified by properly prepared antiserum. After appropriate absorptions we prepared a T56 slide-agglutinating antiserum that identified M56 strains in various parts of the United States and in Israel. This widely distributed serotype would have been misidentified with currently available international reference sera. The monotypic system of M- and T-type 56, like the "Redlake" M49, T49, appeared to be at least potentially nephritogenic, to be widely distributed geographically and to contain unidentified cross-reacting T antigens.

Footnotes

¹ Teaching and Research Scholar, American College of Physicians.

² Present address: Northwestern University Streptococcal Disease Unit, General Hospital, San Fernando, Trinidad, West Indies.

³ This work was supported in part by a research grant (HE09561) and a training grant (AI00320) from the United States Public Health Service and by the Memphis Regional Medical Program, Department of Health, Education and Welfare. The conclusions presented by the authors do not necessarily represent the views of the United States Public Health Service.

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