An increasing interest has been shown to the antistreptolysin O (ASLO), as a valuable serological diagnostic method of streptococcus hemolyticus infection. The diagnostic value of ASLO, the factors for it's rise and the relationship between ASLO and clinical symptoms were investigated with 93 scarlet fever patients treated symptomatically. The results were as follows:
ASLO value remained normal on the 7th day of illness, but on the 14th day a significant rise was recongnized in 59% and on the 20th day in 80%. As for the factors for it's rise, serious cases were likely to cause a higher ASLO value as compared with slighter cases. The higher the highest temperature was, or the longer the feverish or exanthematic perioddured, the higher was. the ASLO value Cases with other bacterial complications or a longer duration of positive streptococcus isolation were in general. associated with a higher ASLO value. However, the experience of the cases without ASLO value elevation despite the realisation of all these made it necessary to take unknown factors such as diffential antibody-producing ability on the host side also into, consideration. Concerning the relation to C-reactive protein (CRP), cases with positive CRP for a long duration tended to demonstrate a high ASLO value.
According to these data, the weekly determination of ASLO value proved usefulfor a serological diagnosis for scarlet fever and it's complications. Our data mitght be of particular importance because of their restriction to symptomatically treated cases.
View full abstract