Anticardiolipin antibodies in patients with infectious diseases.

IgG or IgM anticardiolipin antibodies were present in the sera of 67% of 33 patients with Hansen's disease, in 53% of 30 patients with tuberculosis and in 50% of 16 patients with endocarditis. Despite the high frequency of these antibodies, no patient had a history of thrombosis or abortion. Anti-denatured DNA antibodies were tested in patients with tuberculosis and patients with Hansen's disease. Only in the latter group did we observe a statistically significant association between anticardiolipin and anti-denatured DNA antibodies. Anticardiolipin binding activity, however, could not be inhibited by preincubation of sera with a variable concentration of denatured DNA. These data suggest that: a) Anticardiolipin antibodies in infectious diseases do not necessarily participate in the pathogenesis of thrombotic or obstetric complications; b) Anti-denatured DNA and anticardiolipin antibodies in the population studied do not have a cross-reaction.