A Study of HLA and DRw Antigens in Severe Recurrent Herpes Progenitalis (HSV-2) Infection

In this preliminary study the phenotypic distribution of HLA and DRw antigens was investigated in patients with recurrent herpes progenitalis. Ninety-three white men between the ages of 20 and 53 years, with at least a 2-year history of recurrent herpes progenitalis infection, and 558 age-matched white men from the same area of Los Angeles were studied by means of a microcytotoxicity assay. Statistical analysis of data indicated that there is no increased incidence of any HLA antigen. The B cell antigen DRw7 is present in 37% of the patients and 22% of controls, with a p value of 0.009 and a relative risk of 2.1. These results suggest that there may be genetic and immunologic factors that tend to predispose certain individuals to the development of recurrent herpes progenitalis when they are exposed to the virus.