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From: werner@aecom.UUCP (Craig Werner)
Newsgroups: net.motss,net.med
Subject: HLA-DR antibodies cause positive HTLV-3 test results.
Message-ID: <1752@aecom.UUCP>
Date: Fri, 7-Jun-85 15:44:49 EDT
Article-I.D.: aecom.1752
Posted: Fri Jun  7 15:44:49 1985
Date-Received: Sun, 9-Jun-85 03:30:56 EDT
Distribution: na
Organization: Albert Einstein Coll. of Med., NY
Lines: 26
Xref: watmath net.motss:1744 net.med:1613


	First, let me explain what HLA is.
	HLA stands for Human Leukocyte Antigen,  although they are a group
of proteins that occur on every cell in the body.  There are 4 groups -
HLA-A,B,C are found on every cell.  HLA-D is particularly prominent on
White Blood Cells.  There are hundreds of types of each letter - so many
in fact, that probably no two people on Earth (except identical twins)
have the same arrangement.  HLAs are also known as Transplantation antigens
-- they are the cause of Rejection following Heart/Kidney/etc. transplant.

	One of them -  HLA-D4 has been shown to react with the antibody to
the virus that presumably causes AIDS.  This is the first case of a true
False Positive with known cause.
	Therefore, people who carry the HLA-D4 gene will register a positive
result to the AIDS blood test, whether or not they have been exposed to the
AIDS virus.  However, it can be checked via other means.

	One explanation for the phenomenon is that the only cell line in
which HTLV-3 will grow carries the HLA-D4, and hence the antibody is raised
to a HLA-D4/HTLV-3 hybrid (also known as a virally-altered self) and then
will react with each component separately.

-- 
				Craig Werner
				!philabs!aecom!werner
		"The world is just a straight man for you sometimes"