Distribution of HLA-B27 in Romanian spondyloarthritides patients

Usefulness of complex bacteriological and serological analysis in patients with spondyloarthritis

Spondyloarthritis (SpA) is a group of associated chronic systemic inflammatory immune-mediated rheumatic diseases affecting axial and peripheral joints and entheses. The aim of the present study was to identify what parameters are useful to determine in order to better understand the correlation between the disease activity/severity and the microbiological results/immune status against intestinal and/or urogenital pathogens. Microorganisms known to trigger SpA, including Klebsiella spp., Yersinia spp., Salmonella spp., Campylobacter spp. and Chlamydia spp., were analyzed in various specimens (stool, urine, synovial fluid and serum) collected from 27 randomly selected SpA patients and 26 healthy controls using a combined direct and indirect approach relying on conventional culture technique and nucleic acid-based assays together with serological testing by ELISA. Although Escherichia coli derived from phylogroup A prevailed in the gut microflora of the patients and controls, differences were observed regarding the representatives of the other phylogroups with a higher prevalence of E.coli members of phylogenetic group B1 in the stool specimens of patients. Antibodies against the targeted species were detected in SpA patients and controls, and the serological profiles of the former were more diverse and complex. In conclusion, the detection of anti-bacterial antibodies combined with other specific laboratory investigations should be more extensively used to monitor SpA patients in association with their symptoms and in order to determine and administer more effective therapeutics.

Human leukocyte antigen-b27 and disease susceptibility in vojvodina, serbia

There are numerous studies showing the role of human leukocyte antigens (HLAs) related with susceptibility or resistance to certain diseases. The aim of this study was to determine the association of HLA-B27 with ankylosing spondylitis (AS), polyarthralgia, lumboishialgia, acute anterior uveitis (AAU), psoriatic arthritis (PA), synovitis coxae and rheumatoid arthritis (RA) in patients from Vojvodina, Serbia. An HLA I class typing was performed by the serological immunomagnetic two-color fluorescence method using peripheral blood T lymphocytes in 97 patients and 224 healthy controls from the population of Vojvodina, Serbia. We calculated HLA-B27 frequencies, relative risk (RR), ethiologic fraction (EF), e.g., population attributive risk, when RR was greater than 1, while, preventive fraction (PF) was calculated when RR was lower than 1. This study revealed the strongest association of AS with HLAB27 antigen: RR = 25.0, while the EF was greater than 0.15, respectively. The χ² test showed the significant difference (p <0.05) in HLA-B27 in patients with AS in comparison to controls (χ² = 52.5). It was concluded that there is a positive association of HLA-B27 with AS and that HLA-B27 can serve as a marker for predisposition to diseases.