[Clinical and pathogenetic significance of Proteus mirabilis antibodies in uveitis associated with joint lesions in children and adolescents].

Immunological studies in 95 children with uveitis associated with juvenile chronic arthritis revealed infection with Proteus mirabilis in 14.7% cases, mainly in cases with reactive arthritis and juvenile rheumatoid arthritis (JRA). A clear-cut relationship between P. mirabilis infection and severity of the disease was detected. In 85% children infected with P. mirabilis uveitis was associated with a rapid decrease of ocular functions and development of complications, one of the most frequent of which was vitreous fibrosis, generally not typical of classical rheumatoid uveitis. Antibodies to P. mirabilis were detected in 72.2% children with positive antinuclear factor, a marker of ophthalmoarticular rheumatic diseases. The pathogenetic significance of P. mirabilis in uveitis associated with articular involvement deserves further investigation, but even now the detection of P. mirabilis can be used as a marker of uveitis exacerbations and severity.