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Absence of Mycobacterium tuberculosis DNA in synovial fluid from patients with rheumatoid arthritis
1Department of Pathology and Microbiology, University of Bristol, United Kingdom.
Annals of the Rheumatic Diseases
|October 1, 1994
Abstract
Objectives:
To determine whether Mycobacterium tuberculosis DNA can be detected in synovial fluid of patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA).
Methods:
The polymerase chain reaction was applied to cellular components of synovial fluid.
Results:
No evidence of M tuberculosis DNA was found in synovial fluid from 31 patients with RA and 13 control patients.
Conclusion:
The findings do not support a role for persistent M tuberculosis infection in the pathogenesis of RA.