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EPIDEMIC POLYARTHRITIS IN EASTERN AUSTRALIA, 1959–1971
Author(s) -
Doherty R. L.,
Barrett E. J.,
Gorman B. M.,
Whitehead E. H.
Publication year - 1971
Publication title -
medical journal of australia
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.904
H-Index - 131
eISSN - 1326-5377
pISSN - 0025-729X
DOI - 10.5694/j.1326-5377.1971.tb87411.x
Subject(s) - polyarthritis , complement fixation test , medicine , demography , antibody , pediatrics , immunology , serology , arthritis , sociology
One hundred and seventeen patients showed significant rising titres to Ross River virus after illnesses resembling epidemic polyarthritis in eastern Australia in the period 1959–1970. The series included few children and more women than men. Cases were recognized each year except 1960 and 1963, in the period November‐June, especially January‐May. Most patients were referred from towns in Queensland, especially from the suburbs of Brisbane and towns in western and north Queensland, but cases were recognized in the Murray Valley of Victoria in 1965 and 1967. Hæmagglutination‐inhibiting antibody appeared early in the course of illness, reached peak titre at about 10 to 14 days after recognized onset and then declined slowly, with patients retaining moderate titres for years. Antibodies detectable by complement‐fixation test appeared later, making it a more useful diagnostic test, and declined more rapidly, although again most of the patients tested over the period retained detectable levels of antibody for years.