IMMUNOGENETIC STUDIES IN MEXICAN COUPLES WITH RECURRENT SPONTANEOUS-ABORTIONS

Aim. To study the HLA markers in Mexican couples who have suffered thr ee or more spontaneous abortions. Design. The study included 24 couple s with recurrent abortions and 32 with normal fertility. Method. HLA c lass I (A, B, C) and class II (DR, DQ) typing was done with a standard microlymphocitoxity test. The intergroup differences were evaluated b y chi-square and the Fisher exact test. Results. The frequency of the MHC markers in the males and females of couples with abortions were no t significantly different from those in fertile couples. However, the abortion couples shared class I antigens more often than expected from random mating as compared to fertile couples, specially in the HLA-B locus. We also found a significantly decreased frequency of the HLA-B7 antigen in males belonging to the abortion group. Conclusion. These r esults suggest that HLA-B antigens may be markers for genes related to pregnancy outcome in Mexicans.