Go to JCI Insight
  • About
  • Editors
  • Consulting Editors
  • For authors
  • Publication ethics
  • Publication alerts by email
  • Advertising
  • Job board
  • Contact
  • Clinical Research and Public Health
  • Current issue
  • Past issues
  • By specialty
    • COVID-19
    • Cardiology
    • Gastroenterology
    • Immunology
    • Metabolism
    • Nephrology
    • Neuroscience
    • Oncology
    • Pulmonology
    • Vascular biology
    • All ...
  • Videos
    • Conversations with Giants in Medicine
    • Video Abstracts
  • Reviews
    • View all reviews ...
    • Pancreatic Cancer (Jul 2025)
    • Complement Biology and Therapeutics (May 2025)
    • Evolving insights into MASLD and MASH pathogenesis and treatment (Apr 2025)
    • Microbiome in Health and Disease (Feb 2025)
    • Substance Use Disorders (Oct 2024)
    • Clonal Hematopoiesis (Oct 2024)
    • Sex Differences in Medicine (Sep 2024)
    • View all review series ...
  • Viewpoint
  • Collections
    • In-Press Preview
    • Clinical Research and Public Health
    • Research Letters
    • Letters to the Editor
    • Editorials
    • Commentaries
    • Editor's notes
    • Reviews
    • Viewpoints
    • 100th anniversary
    • Top read articles

  • Current issue
  • Past issues
  • Specialties
  • Reviews
  • Review series
  • Conversations with Giants in Medicine
  • Video Abstracts
  • In-Press Preview
  • Clinical Research and Public Health
  • Research Letters
  • Letters to the Editor
  • Editorials
  • Commentaries
  • Editor's notes
  • Reviews
  • Viewpoints
  • 100th anniversary
  • Top read articles
  • About
  • Editors
  • Consulting Editors
  • For authors
  • Publication ethics
  • Publication alerts by email
  • Advertising
  • Job board
  • Contact
Top
  • View PDF
  • Download citation information
  • Send a comment
  • Terms of use
  • Standard abbreviations
  • Need help? Email the journal
  • Top
  • Abstract
  • Version history
  • Article usage
  • Citations to this article

Advertisement

Free access | 10.1172/JCI109324

Circulating Immune Complexes in Lyme Arthritis: DETECTION BY THE 125I-C1q BINDING, C1q SOLID PHASE, AND RAJI CELL ASSAYS

John A. Hardin, Lesley C. Walker, Allen C. Steere, Thomas C. Trumble, Kenneth S. K. Tung, Ralph C. Williams Jr., Shaun Ruddy, and Stephen E. Malawista

Department of Medicine, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, Connecticut 06510

Department of Medicine, Medical College of Virginia, Richmond, Virginia 23298

Department of Pathology, University of New Mexico School of Medicine, Albuquerque, New Mexico 87131

Department of Medicine, University of New Mexico School of Medicine, Albuquerque, New Mexico 87131

Find articles by Hardin, J. in: PubMed | Google Scholar

Department of Medicine, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, Connecticut 06510

Department of Medicine, Medical College of Virginia, Richmond, Virginia 23298

Department of Pathology, University of New Mexico School of Medicine, Albuquerque, New Mexico 87131

Department of Medicine, University of New Mexico School of Medicine, Albuquerque, New Mexico 87131

Find articles by Walker, L. in: PubMed | Google Scholar

Department of Medicine, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, Connecticut 06510

Department of Medicine, Medical College of Virginia, Richmond, Virginia 23298

Department of Pathology, University of New Mexico School of Medicine, Albuquerque, New Mexico 87131

Department of Medicine, University of New Mexico School of Medicine, Albuquerque, New Mexico 87131

Find articles by Steere, A. in: PubMed | Google Scholar

Department of Medicine, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, Connecticut 06510

Department of Medicine, Medical College of Virginia, Richmond, Virginia 23298

Department of Pathology, University of New Mexico School of Medicine, Albuquerque, New Mexico 87131

Department of Medicine, University of New Mexico School of Medicine, Albuquerque, New Mexico 87131

Find articles by Trumble, T. in: PubMed | Google Scholar

Department of Medicine, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, Connecticut 06510

Department of Medicine, Medical College of Virginia, Richmond, Virginia 23298

Department of Pathology, University of New Mexico School of Medicine, Albuquerque, New Mexico 87131

Department of Medicine, University of New Mexico School of Medicine, Albuquerque, New Mexico 87131

Find articles by Tung, K. in: PubMed | Google Scholar

Department of Medicine, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, Connecticut 06510

Department of Medicine, Medical College of Virginia, Richmond, Virginia 23298

Department of Pathology, University of New Mexico School of Medicine, Albuquerque, New Mexico 87131

Department of Medicine, University of New Mexico School of Medicine, Albuquerque, New Mexico 87131

Find articles by Williams, R. in: PubMed | Google Scholar

Department of Medicine, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, Connecticut 06510

Department of Medicine, Medical College of Virginia, Richmond, Virginia 23298

Department of Pathology, University of New Mexico School of Medicine, Albuquerque, New Mexico 87131

Department of Medicine, University of New Mexico School of Medicine, Albuquerque, New Mexico 87131

Find articles by Ruddy, S. in: PubMed | Google Scholar

Department of Medicine, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, Connecticut 06510

Department of Medicine, Medical College of Virginia, Richmond, Virginia 23298

Department of Pathology, University of New Mexico School of Medicine, Albuquerque, New Mexico 87131

Department of Medicine, University of New Mexico School of Medicine, Albuquerque, New Mexico 87131

Find articles by Malawista, S. in: PubMed | Google Scholar

Published March 1, 1979 - More info

Published in Volume 63, Issue 3 on March 1, 1979
J Clin Invest. 1979;63(3):468–477. https://doi.org/10.1172/JCI109324.
© 1979 The American Society for Clinical Investigation
Published March 1, 1979 - Version history
View PDF
Abstract

We have found immunoglobulin (Ig) G-containing material consistent with immune complexes in the sera of patients with Lyme arthritis. It was detected in 29 of 55 sera (55%) from 31 patients by at least one of three assays: 125I-C1q binding, C1q solid phase, or Raji cell. The presence of reactive material correlated with clinical aspects of disease activity; it was found early in the illness, was most prominent in sera from the sickest patients, was infrequent during remissions, and often fluctuated in parallel with changes in clinical status. The results in the two C1q assays showed a strong positive correlation (P<0.001). They were each elevated in 45% of the sera and were usually concordant (85%). In contrast, the Raji cell assay was less frequently positive and often discordant with the C1q assays. In sucrose density gradients, putative circulating immune complexes sedimented near 19S; they, too, were detected best by the two assays based on C1q binding. An additional 7S component was found in some sera by the 125I-C1q binding assay. Serum complement was often above the range of normal in patients with mild disease and normal in patients with severe disease but did not correlate significantly with levels of circulating immune complexes. IgM and IgG rheumatoid factors were not detectable.

These findings support a role for immune complexes in the pathogenesis of Lyme arthritis. Their measurement, by either the 125I-C1q binding assay or by the C1q solid phase assay, often provides a sensitive index of disease activity. Moreover, the complexes are likely sources of disease-related antigens for further study of this new disorder.

Browse pages

Click on an image below to see the page. View PDF of the complete article

icon of scanned page 468
page 468
icon of scanned page 469
page 469
icon of scanned page 470
page 470
icon of scanned page 471
page 471
icon of scanned page 472
page 472
icon of scanned page 473
page 473
icon of scanned page 474
page 474
icon of scanned page 475
page 475
icon of scanned page 476
page 476
icon of scanned page 477
page 477
Version history
  • Version 1 (March 1, 1979): No description

Article tools

  • View PDF
  • Download citation information
  • Send a comment
  • Terms of use
  • Standard abbreviations
  • Need help? Email the journal

Metrics

  • Article usage
  • Citations to this article

Go to

  • Top
  • Abstract
  • Version history
Advertisement
Advertisement

Copyright © 2025 American Society for Clinical Investigation
ISSN: 0021-9738 (print), 1558-8238 (online)

Sign up for email alerts