Type-Specific Anti-M Precipitins in Rheumatic and Non-Rheumatic Patients With Hemolytic Streptococcal Infections

SummaryThe development of type-specific anti-M precipitins was studied in 2 groups of patients suffering from hemolytic streptococcal infections. Most of the patients in group I, none of whom developed rheumatic fever, showed relatively strong type-specific reactions in their serum by the 4th or 5th week after the onset of infection. The members of group II all developed rheumatic fever; some had similar strong antibodies early; but most rheumatic patients from whom hemolytic streptococci were obtained in significant numbers did not show strong anti-M precipitins until distinctly later than was the rule for the non-rheumatic group.