Intercellular antibodies: presence in a Trichophyton rubrum infection.

Intercellular antibodies have been discovered in a patient with a Trichophyton rubrum infection. Immunofluorescent (IMF) and complement fixing antibody titers correlated well with clinical symptoms. No penicillin sensitivity was present. While absorption with a proper ratio of trichophyton antigen removed all IMF antibodies from these sera, the serum from a patient with pemhigus vulgaris with a similar IMF-intercellular antibody titer was not affected by this absorption. It can be assumed that the specificity of the reaction in pemphigus is different from that induced by the Trichophyton rubrum infection although both may react with intercellular components.