Abstract: Rheumatoid rosettes were obtained in vitro by mixing purified lymphocytes of patients with rheumatoid arthritis and human ORh-erythrocytes coated with rabbit immunoglobulin; 497 rheumatoid rosette tests were performed in 399 subjects. More than 6 rheumatoid rosettes/1,000 lymphocytes were found in 70 per cent of 138 patients with rheumatoid arthritis and in 5 per cent of 158 control subjects excluding gouty patients. No direct correlation was observed between the number of rheumatoid rosettes and the serum titer of rheumatoid factor, and the proportion of positive test results was not significantly higher in seropositive (76 per cent) than in seronegative cases (64 per cent). A positive rheumatoid rosette test was significantly more frequent in patients with rheumatoid arthritis of recent onset than in those with long-standing rheumatoid arthritis and in patients with pain than in those without pain. A similar correlation was not found with the serum levels of rheumatoid factor. Biologic and clinical data suggest that rheumatoid rosette-forming cells are principally observed at the onset or during the active phase of rheumatoid arthritis whereas high levels of serum rheumatoid factor are more typical of the chronic phase of the disease. The rheumatoid rosette test is proposed as a new test, unifying seropositive and seronegative rheumatoid arthritis. When this test is combined with serum agglutination reactions, rheumatoid factor is demonstrated in more than 90 per cent of the patients with rheumatoid arthritis. A negative rheumatoid rosette test in a patient not treated with corticosteroids would suggest that the disease has become inactive. Rheumatoid rosette-forming cells are probably rheumatoid factor-producing cells or antigen sensitive cells involved in immunoglobulin recognition. Rheumatoid rosettes were obtained in vitro by mixing purified lymphocytes of patients with rheumatoid arthritis and human ORh-erythrocytes coated with rabbit immunoglobulin; 497 rheumatoid rosette tests were performed in 399 subjects. More than 6 rheumatoid rosettes/1,000 lymphocytes were found in 70 per cent of 138 patients with rheumatoid arthritis and in 5 per cent of 158 control subjects excluding gouty patients. No direct correlation was observed between the number of rheumatoid rosettes and the serum titer of rheumatoid factor, and the proportion of positive test results was not significantly higher in seropositive (76 per cent) than in seronegative cases (64 per cent). A positive rheumatoid rosette test was significantly more frequent in patients with rheumatoid arthritis of recent onset than in those with long-standing rheumatoid arthritis and in patients with pain than in those without pain. A similar correlation was not found with the serum levels of rheumatoid factor. Biologic and clinical data suggest that rheumatoid rosette-forming cells are principally observed at the onset or during the active phase of rheumatoid arthritis whereas high levels of serum rheumatoid factor are more typical of the chronic phase of the disease. The rheumatoid rosette test is proposed as a new test, unifying seropositive and seronegative rheumatoid arthritis. When this test is combined with serum agglutination reactions, rheumatoid factor is demonstrated in more than 90 per cent of the patients with rheumatoid arthritis. A negative rheumatoid rosette test in a patient not treated with corticosteroids would suggest that the disease has become inactive. Rheumatoid rosette-forming cells are probably rheumatoid factor-producing cells or antigen sensitive cells involved in immunoglobulin recognition.
Publication Year: 1970
Publication Date: 1970-08-01
Language: en
Type: article
Indexed In: ['crossref', 'pubmed']
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Cited By Count: 35
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