MORPHOLOGICAL PATTERNS OF IMMUNOFLUORESCENCE STAINING OF CELL NUCLEI WITH HUMAN ANTINUCLEAR SERA

To the Editor.— Drs. Burnham, Neblett, and Fine have questioned our findings in immunofluorescence staining with sera of patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) and have suggested that the discrepancy between their results and ours might be attributable to our inability to distinguish between true speckled and "speckled-like" threads. 1 This is rather improbable since one of us originally recognized 2 and defined 3 the speckled pattern in strict morphological terms, namely "the nucleus showed numerous minute points of fluorescence scattered throughout its substance but less numerous at its periphery, so that its margin was indistinct." Drs. Burnham, Neblett, and Fine have stated previously 4 that "speckled-like" threads are usually accompanied by the longer threads of shaggy fluorescence, and Dr. Tan has reported that the intranuclear fibrillary pattern (that is similar to and possibly identical with the "speckledlike" threads) is associated with staining of the nuclear rim. 5 Drs. Burnham,