[Autoimmune reactions in diseases of streptococcal etiology]

In this work 98 cases of streptococcal tonsillitis and 361 cases of erysipelas were studied. As revealed in this study, in relapsing forms of streptococcal infection antibodies to cross-reacting antigens of the infective agent appear in the blood. The synthesis of antibodies to the basal layers of skin epithelium was accompanied by an increase in the concentration of medium-size immune complexes, 0-cell population and by a decrease in the number of T suppressors. The mechanism of the development of the autoimmune process in relapsing forms of streptococcal infection is discussed.