Congenital Transmission in Mice of an Active Agent from Human Rheumatoid Arthritis

Studies on the infectious etiology of rheumatoid arthritis

“…T h e present studies failed to confirm the reports of a transmissible agent in rhematoid synovial tissue as reported by Warren et a1 (16)(17)(18)(19). Joint lesions developed with the same degree of frequency in mice and chicks injected with either rheumatoid or nonrheumatoid material.…”

Morphological appearances of a bacterial L-form growing in association with the erythrocytes of arthritic subjects.

“…Although I do not wish to be interpreted as suggesting that infection of the blood, or even of the joint fluids, with mycoplasma-like L-forms is necessarily the sole factor in infection-induced arthritis, further support is lent to this concept by the recent demonstration by Warren, Marmor, Liebes, and Hollins (1969), that a congenitally transmissible agent from human lesions can cause polyarthritis in mice: the organism described in this paper can almost certainly be congenitally acquired (Pease, 1967). This type of infection seems to be acute in cases of arthritis, but it is found to some extent in many apparently normal persons.…”

Oral mycoplasmas in Sjögren's syndrome

“…A viral aetiology has been sought with negative results (Barnett, Balduzzi, Vaughan, and Morgan, 1966), although further work has suggested the possibility of latent or defective viral infection of synovial cells (Grayzel and Beck, 1969). Warren, Marmor, Liebes, and Hollins (1969) have reported the isolation of an active agent from rheumatoid arthritis synovial membranes. The full significance of these findings remains speculative, but the possibility exists of contamination or the stimulation of latent endogenous infections.…”