HLA antigens in 88 cases of rheumatic fever observed in Martinique

Abstract
HLA-A, B, and C and DR antigens were studied in 88 patients from Martinique. A modest but significant reduction of B14 and Bw42 antigens was noted as well as an increase in B35 (p < 0.05) (corrected p < 0.05), two antigens known to be in linkage disequilibrium. These data, which corroborate a previous study for B35, suggest that the unusual antistreptococcal response mounted by rheumatic fever patients is under HLA control.