[Strict correlation between anti-RANA antibodies and anti-EBNA antibodies apart from rheumatoid arthritis. Assessment of the diagnostic value of anti-RANA antibody].

In order to study the relationship between anti-RANA antibodies (aRANA) and the antibodies capable of recognising other Epstein-Barr induced antigens, we examined the sera of 51 patients without rheumatoid arthritis for anti-RANA, anti-EA, anti-VCA, and anti-EBNA antibodies. These subjects were cases of Burkitt's lymphoma, infectious mononucleosis, naso-pharyngeal carcinoma, immune disorders, Hodgkin's disease and normal controls. A blind study was conducted in two separate laboratories. Anti-RANA was detected by indirect immunofluorescence on RAJI cells synchronised in phase G1. There was a very strict correlation between anti-RANA and anti-EBNA with no correlation between anti-RANA and anti-EA or anti-VCA. In another experiment, 15 coded sera from patients with classical rheumatoid arthritis were tested following adsorption of the rheumatoid factor. One serum was found to be devoid of both anti-RANA and anti-EBNA. These results demonstrate that anti-RANA is widely distributed outside of rheumatoid arthritis and they question the distinction between EBNA and RANA, as the antibody titres directed against these antigens are regularly linked together.