YERSINIA ARTHRITIS, IMMUNE FUNCTIONS AND HISTOCOMPATIBILITY ANTIGENS

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Abstract
Secondary immune response to tetanus toxoid (TT), monocyte function, and generation of suppressor cells were studied in patients with previous yersinia arthritis (YA) and healthy controls. A comparison of HLA-B27 positive and negative subjects revealed that leukocytes from the former showed significantly higher responses to TT but not to a variety of other antigens in a lymphocyte proliferation test, and higher rates of migration in a leukocyte migration inhibition assay in the absence of TT. The enhanced migration of leukocytes supports the concept that hyper-reactive neutrophils contribute to inflammatory symptoms in HLA-B27 positive subjects, irrespective of previous YA. No correlation was found between HLA-DR specificities and YA. However, HLA-DR2/HLA-B7 was associated with high suppressor cell activity and low serum levels of anti-TT-antibodies. This accords with the view that HLA-DR antigens play a role in the regulation of immune response.