The Resistance to Fibrinolytic Activity of the Hemo- Lytic Streptococcus with Special Reference to Patients with Rheumatic Fever

Recently Tillett and Garner (1) have demonstrated that broth cultures of hemolytic streptococci of human origin rapidly liquefy the fibrinclot of human plasma. Cultures of other species of bacteria obtained from human beings fail to exhibit this property. Tillett, Edwards and Garner (2) further found that the plasma clot from patients convalescent from acute hemolytic streptococcal infections was highly resistant to the action of broth cultures of a human hemolytic streptococcus. The observations of Tillett and his coworkers were confirmed by Hadfield, Magee and Perry (3). Previously, we (4, 5, 6) have studied groups of patients with rheumatic fever and rheumatoid arthritis to determine what, if any, relationship exists between streptococcal infection and these diseases. In continuing these studies, we have determined the resistance to fibrinolysis of the blood plasma of patients with rheumatic fever and rheumatoid arthritis and of control groups of patients.