Antibodies against the various types of skeletal muscle fibres

Abstract

Antibodies against skeletal muscle tissue may be directed against all muscle fibres (`overall' type) or against the distinct types of muscle fibres (`zebra' type). The antibodies of the `overall' type are frequently demonstrated in sera of patients with myasthenia gravis, rheumatoid arthritis, pernicious anaemia, Hashimoto's disease and idiopathic adrenocortical atrophy. The antibodies of the `zebra' type are probably without a clinical significance. They can be divided into antibodies against the three distinct histochemical types of skeletal muscle fibres, namely into anti-red fibre, anti-white fibre and anti-medium fibre antibodies.