In vitro lymphoproliferative response to Yersinia: depressed response in arthritic patients years after Yersinia infection.

The persistence of lymphocyte transformation response to Yersinia was studied three to six years after Yersinia infection in subjects who had or had not suffered from reactive arthritis. In persons who had had arthritis, significantly weaker response to Yersinia was found than in those who had recovered without developing arthritis. The same held true also for the response to Klebsiella. These results support and extend our earlier observations of a depressed lymphocyte transformation response to Yersinia during the course of Yersinia arthritis. This phenomenon may be linked to the individual's susceptibility to arthritic complications after Yersinia infection.