Antibody responses to collagen peptides and streptococcal collagen-like 1 proteins in acute rheumatic fever patients.

Abstract

Acute rheumatic fever (ARF) is a serious post-infectious immune sequelae of Group A streptococcus (GAS). Pathogenesis remains poorly understood, including the events associated with collagen autoantibody generation. GAS express streptococcal collagen-like proteins (Scl) that contain a collagenous domain resembling human collagen. Here, the relationship between antibody reactivity to GAS Scl proteins and human collagen in ARF was investigated. Serum IgG specific for a representative Scl protein (Scl1.1) together with collagen-I and collagen-IV mimetic peptides were quantified in ARF patients (n = 36) and healthy matched controls (n = 36). Reactivity to Scl1.1 was significantly elevated in ARF..