HL-A27 and W10 in Reiter's syndrome and nonspecific urethritis.

By means of a standard lymphocyte microcytoxic technique, the tissue types were fully determined in 41 patients with non-gonococcal urethritis and 25 patients with Reiter's syndrome. The antigen HL-A27 was identified in 14 of the patients with Reiter's syndrome and occurred in 3 of the patients with non-gonococcal urethritis. An excess of the genotype HL-A27/W10 was found in patients with Reiter's syndrome. There was no correlation between the duration or the severity of the clinical manifestations of the syndrome and the presence of the antigens. The possibility that the syndrome might result from various pathogenic mechanisms is discussed.