[New possibilities of donor selection for bone marrow and organ transplantation by HLA typing and genomic DNA].

For one year we determined HLA class II antigens from all patients with renal and haematological disorders and their healthy family members both by using serological methods and DNA typing (SSO, SSP). The rate of discrepancies between the results of serological DR typing and DRB1 typing was 10.8% (13/120). We were able to demonstrate that DNA typing for class II antigens leads to definite results even for patients with a poor cell quality or with lymphocytopenia where serological typing is often impossible. Furthermore, DNA typing from patients with haematological disorders is very important, especially if a bone marrow transplantation is considered. In addition to MLC testing, DRB1, DQB1 and DPB1 typing should be carried out for the patient and the potential donor. DNA typing is also recommended for patients waiting for a kidney transplantation particularly if they were serologically typed as 'homozygous', as the chance to receive an HLA-compatible organ is much higher for a heterozygous individual.