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Updated: Aug 9, 2026

Lymphocyte Isolation from Human Skin for Phenotypic Analysis and Ex Vivo Cell Culture
Published on: April 8, 2016
HLA Cw*06 is not essential for streptococcal-induced psoriasis
L Fry1, A V Powles, S Corcoran
1Faculty of Medicine, Imperial College, London, UK, and The Skin Hospital, Dublin 2, Ireland.
Background:
Streptococcal throat infections and HLA Cw6 (Cw*06) have been implicated in the pathogenesis of psoriasis, particularly in the guttate form.
Objectives:
To study 105 Irish patients with psoriasis to investigate the relationship between streptococcal infections and Cw*06.
Methods:
The patients were divided into two groups: those with guttate psoriasis or guttate flare (guttate group, GG, n=64) and those with chronic plaque psoriasis (chronic plaque group, CPG, n=41).
Results:
The incidence of Cw*06 was 86% in the GG and 73% in the CPG, which was not significantly different (P=0.1725) but the incidence in both groups was significantly higher than in an Irish control group (18%) (P<0.0001 vs. GG and P<0.0001 vs. CPG). Evidence for streptococcal infection was higher in the GG (56%) than in the CPG (32%) (P=0.0231). Of those patients with evidence of streptococcal infection, 30 of 36 GG (83%) and nine of 13 CPG (69%) patients possessed the Cw*06 genotype.
Conclusions:
Thus, not all patients with streptococcal-related psoriasis carry Cw*06. The role of Cw*06 in psoriasis, if any, has yet to be determined.
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