RESUMO
INTRODUCTION: Measurement of antibodies to extracellular products of group A streptococcus, specifically streptolysin O (ASO), is useful to detect previous streptococcal infection, besides its ability to identify those asymptomatic carriers or to support diagnosis of poststreptococcal disease. An inflammatory process has been considered as a one variable that could be modifying the interpretation of ASO test. OBJECTIVE: identify in serum from clinically healthy subjects the covariability of antibodies to streptolysin O (ASO) serum concentration, high sensitivity C reactive protein (hsCRP). METHODS: 87 serum samples from 87 clinically healthy subjects were tested. ASO, hsCRP, and total IgG were measured by nephelometry. Statistical analysis was performed using mean, median, and standard deviation with descriptive purpose; in addition, normality of the distribution of variables was determined. Spearman correlation test was performed in all cases. Significance was considered for p < or = 0.05. RESULTS: A non-parametric distribution was exhibited by both ASO and hsCRP values. Gaussian distribution was finding only for IgG values. Spearman correlation values for ASO against both hsCRP and IgG were 0.19 (p = NS). CONCLUSIONS: ASO values distribution did not correlate with dispersion of levels of hsCRP, neither IgG. This suggests that values obtained from clinically healthy subjects in this study where not modified influenced by a potential subjacent inflammatory process, neither IgG serum levels.