HL-A8 and the immune response to various antigens

The possession of the histocompatibility antigen HL-A8 has been correlated with serum levels of antibodies to gluten and a variety of other dietary, viral, and bacterial antigens and autoantigens. The only significant correlation with HL-A8 was of raised levels of gluten antibody. Thus it seems that HL-A8 may be associated with an enhanced immune response specifically to gluten, and not with a generally enhanced immunological responsiveness as has been suggested.