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Letting antibodies get to your head

Autoantibodies to group A streptococcocal sugar moieties are now implicated in Sydenham chorea, a neuropsychiatric complication of rheumatic fever. These antibodies appear to disturb neuronal cell function by binding to glycolipids (pages 914–920).

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Figure 2

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Figure 1: Autoantibodies and Sydenham chorea.

Kimberly Homer; Streptococcus courtesy of Am. Museum of Nat. History

References

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Fujinami, R., Sweeten, T. Letting antibodies get to your head. Nat Med 9, 823–825 (2003). https://doi.org/10.1038/nm0703-823

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