Five synthetic peptides corresponding to the N-, the C- and a central domain in 60-kD SSA/Ro protein were prepared and tested with sera from 112 patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), 55 with primary Sjögren's syndrome (pSS) and 29 with rheumatoid arthritis. Among these five fragments, one representing residues 21-41, was recognized by antibodies in 57% of pSS patients. Interestingly, this peptide was recognized by only a few (less than or equal to 7%) of SLE sera, while 63% of pSS sera and 46% of SLE sera tested in parallel possessed antibodies reacting in ELISA with purified 60-kD SSA protein. The ELISA results were compared with the pattern of reactivity obtained in immunodiffusion and immunoblotting. The results indicate that the sensitivity of ELISA using peptide 21-41 and pSS sera was in the same range as immunoblotting and higher than immunodiffusion. Thus the peptide 21-41 proved useful for the detection of anti-SSA antibodies in the sera of patients with pSS. Furthermore, a positive ELISA using peptide 21-41 could be of potential use to discriminate pSS with systemic features from SLE. The fact that peptide 21-41 is recognized by antibodies in pSS but only by very few SLE sera implies that different mechanisms are involved in the anti-SSA immune response in these two autoimmune diseases.