ANTINUCLEAR FACTORS AND HUMAN LEUCOCYTES: REACTION WITH GRANULOCYTES AND LYMPHOCYTES

Abstract

Summary We compared the reaction of antinuclear factor (ANF) with nuclei of lymphocytes, granulocytes and liver cells by retesting III sera known to have given a positive test for antinuclear factor with human blood smears. These sera could be placed in three groups, as follows: Group 1, 47 sera, reacted to equal titre with the nuclei of lymphocytes, granulocytes and rat liver nuclei; Group 2, 25 sera, reacted to much higher titre with the nuclei of granulocytes than with nuclei of lymphocytes and liver cells; Group 3, 39 sera, reacted only with the nuclei of granulocytes. Thus, reactive sera contained separate antinuclear factors for nuclei of lymphocytes and liver cells, and for granulocytes. The presence of high titre lymphocyte‐reactive ANF characterized systemic lupus erythematosus, and was associated with lymphopenia (but not granulocytopenia) and a positive result to the LE cell test. Granulocyte‐specific ANF occurred in 4% of healthy subjects, but only to low titre (10 or less) ; high titres occurred in a range of diseases considered to be “ autoimmune ”, but had little diagnostic specificity and were not associated with cytopenias. The fixed blood film has some advantages for ANF tests: it is inexpensive and readily available, the incidence and titre of reactions with lymphocyte nuclei and tissue nuclei are similar, and the granulocyte‐specific ANF can be recognized. However, it should be specified whether positive reactions are with all nuclei or only granulocyte nuclei.