Serum antibody levels of uveitis patients to bovine retinal antigens

Serum samples from 91 uveitis patients and controls were tested by the enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay technique to determine their relative antibody titers to bovine retinal S antigen and to a detergent extract of saline-washed bovine retina, or P antigen. Only those patients whose uveitis fell into the categories of toxoplasmosis, iritis, herpes keratouveitis, pars planitis, sarcoidosis, Behcet's syndrome, and Vogt-Koyanagi-Harada syndrome are presented in this study. Significantly elevated titers (p <0.05) of antibody to S antigen were found in the diagnostic categories of iritis, toxoplasmosis, sarcoidosis, and Behcet's. Elevated titers to the detergent extract were found in iritis (granulomatous and hypopyon subcategories only), toxoplasmosis, sarcoidosis, and Vogt-Koyanagi-Harada syndrome. The anti-S titers of patients treated with systemic steroids were depressed below normal levels. A separate control group of patients with nonuveal ocular inflammations (conjunctivitis, episcleritis, etc.) had titers very similar to normal controls. The posttreatment titers to S antigen of patients receiving laser photocoagulation for diabetic retinopathy were significantly elevated over normal controls.