Histocompatibility antigens in urinary tract infection and vesicoureteral reflux: a preliminary communication

Various factors may predispose urinary tract infection (UTI) due to E. coliin pediatric patients. Our observations on HLA typing of three families and 36 unrelated patients with recurrent UTI suggest that reflux is inherited through factors(s) loacated on the sixth pair of human chromosome in a close linkage with the Major Histocompatibility Complex. Thus, HLA haplotyping may be used as a marker for vesicoureteral reflux within a family. HLA specificity AW32 may be in linkage disequilibrium with factor(s) responsible for reflux. Furthermore, HLA typing of UTI patients revealed that certain HLA specificities (A2, A10 and BW16) may be assoicated with the susceptibility to UTI due to E. coli regardless of the presence of a reflux. The incidence of blood group A was found to be elevated in patients with recurrent TUI but only in the group which had no detectable reflux.