Herpes gestationis and anti-HLA immunization.

The lymphocytotoxicity technique at +15 degrees C and +37 degrees C was used to identify anti-HLA and cold lymphocytotoxic antibodies in sera from two women with herpes gestationis. The degree of severity of the illness was different in the two cases. The more serious case (widespread cutaneous involvement, repeated fetal deaths) had a very powerful anti-HLA-A9 +anti-HLA-B5 antibody (titre 1/1000); the other had less severe skin lesions; she had an anti-HLA-B13 antibody (titre was 1/256). Both cases had cold lymphocytotoxic auto-antibodies.