Depression of endostreptosin, streptolysin O and streptozyme antibodies in patients with idiopathic nephrosis with and without a nephrotic syndrome.

We determined antibody titers to Endostreptosin (ESS), a recently described protein antigen in the cytoplasm and the plasma membrane of Group A streptococci in 286 normals of different age groups and in 34 children and 19 adults who had or had had at one time a nephrotic syndrome due to idiopathic nephrosis. Antistreptolysin O titers were also determined in 33 of the idiopathic nephrotics. Similarly, antibody titers to Streptozyme were determined in 21 patients with idiopathic nephrosis and 61 normals with a similar age distribution. Severe depression of these antibody titers was found in almost all patients with this disease not only during the presence of a nephrotic syndrome but for long periods up to 20 years following an episode of a nephrotic syndrome when the patients were in complete remission. Patients with a nephrotic syndrome due to chronic glomerulonephritis (5), S.L.E. (4), membranous nephropathy (5), diabetes mellitus (1) or amyloidosis (1) did not show abnormally low values for antibodies to Endostreptosin, Streptolysin O or Streptozyme. High-dose steroid medication as such for prolonged periods of time does not depress Endostreptosin or Streptolysin O antibody titers below the expected mean, as demonstrated in 15 patients with S.L.E.