Report on the 1997 International Society of Blood Transfusion Workshop for Genotyping of Platelet Alloantigens. Platelet and Granulocyte Workshop ISBT.

The results from the 1997 International human platelet antigen- (HPA-) genotyping workshop are reported. Seventeen institutions participated to genotype for HPA polymorphisms of seven DNA samples. Most investigators used the polymerase chain reaction (PCR)-restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP) and PCR-sequence specific priming (SSP). A few participants applied both methods to confirm their results. All participants reported results for HPA-1, -2, -3 and -5 allotyping, while HPA-4 was determined in 12 and HPA-6 in nine laboratories, respectively. For HPA-1 to -6 there were 19 deviations from the consensus result. These deviations were not associated with any particular technique or allotype. Most frequently, however, deviation were reported for HPA-5 typing. These results were discussed at a meeting at the Joint Congress of the ISBT and the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Transfusionsmedizin und Immunhämatologie in Frankfurt, Germany, in September 1997. Based on the results and the comments, further workshops for HPA-allotyping are mandatory for quality assurance.