Desmin antibodies in acute infectious myopericarditis

The role of autoantibodies against cardiac tissue in the pathogenesis of acute myopericarditis is poorly understood--partly because the specificity of the antibodies is unknown. We assayed antibodies against desmin, a cytoskeletal muscle protein, in 18 patients with acute infectious myopericarditis (AIM), in 24 patients with acute uncomplicated infections, in ten patients with acute myocardial infarction, and in 68 blood donors by an immunoenzymatic assay using purified desmin from Purkinje fibers of cow heart. In addition, anti-heart antibodies were assayed by indirect immunofluorescence. Anti-heart antibodies were detected in all groups by indirect immunofluorescence. On the other hand, anti-desmin antibody levels exceeding the mean + 2 SD of the blood donors could demonstrated in seven (39%) AIM patients but in only one patient in the other groups. The analysis of serial samples indicated that the antibody level was highest in the acute phase of AIM and declined during the recovery.