[The differentiation of the antigens making up the circulating immune complexes]

Area of Science:

• Immunology
• Clinical Diagnostics
• Microbiology

Background:

• Circulating immune complexes (CIC) are implicated in various infectious and autoimmune diseases.
• Accurate detection and analysis of CIC are crucial for diagnosing and monitoring disease progression.
• Existing methods for CIC detection can be complex or lack sensitivity.

Purpose of the Study:

• To propose a simple and effective method for detecting and analyzing CIC in biological fluids.
• To evaluate the method's utility in diagnosing chronic infections caused by mycoplasmas and Streptococcus pyogenes L-forms.
• To assess the dynamics of CIC accumulation and elimination during infectious disease processes.

Main Methods:

• Development of a straightforward assay for CIC detection and analysis.
• Application of the method to biological fluid samples from patients with chronic infections.
• Correlation of CIC detection with specific antigens (Ag) and clinical diagnoses.

Main Results:

• The method successfully detected CIC in patients with mycoplasma and Streptococcus pyogenes L-form infections.
• Detection rates of specific antigens within CIC exceeded 90% in patients with mycoplasmal pneumonia.
• A lower detection rate of 40% was observed in infants under 1 year old.
• The diagnostic value was demonstrated in streptococcal infections, including erysipelas, subacute rheumatism, and infectious allergic myocarditis.

Conclusions:

• The proposed method offers a simple yet effective approach for diagnosing infectious diseases associated with CIC formation.
• It enables the study of CIC dynamics, providing insights into disease progression and resolution.
• The method shows significant diagnostic value for specific chronic infections, particularly those involving mycoplasmas and Streptococcus pyogenes L-forms.