The Immunology of Phospholipid-Binding Antibodies in the Anti-Phospholipid Syndrome and Related Disorders

Abstract

Phospholipid-binding antibodies detected by Standard Tests for Syphilis (STS) were probably the first clearly identified autoantibodies in systemic lupus.¹² In the 20 year period following recognition of the association between the biologic false-positive test for syphilis (BFP-STS) and systemic lupus, much attention was devoted to these autoantibodies,^3-8 but interest waned in the 1970s at a time when there were remarkable advances being made in the field of immunology. Rheumatologists shifted their attention to anti-nuclear antibodies,⁹ and relatively little work was done on the BFP-STS. What we knew about these antibodies came from studies on the anti-phospholipid antibodies of syphilis.^10-18