Tissue typing in brucellosis.

Abstract
The index case in this report was clinically, epidemiologically and serologically proved to be suffering from acute brucellosis acquired in Britain and complicated by acute intractable reactive arthritis. HLA tissue typing was A1, A2, B7 and B27. As there is no information available about HLA typing in brucellosis in Britain, further cases of human brucellosis were examined retrospectively. Three further patients possessing B27 antigen were identified, only one of whom had had reactive arthritis. Of the 12 cases studied, 8 also carried A2, which is thus shown not to be protective against the development of brucellosis as was suggested previously.