IgG antibodies to enterobacteria 60 kDa heat shock proteins in the sera of HLA-B27 positive ankylosing spondylitis patients

Objective: To study the association of HLA-B27 and the IgG response to the 60 kDa HSPs of Klebsiella pneumoniae, Yersinia enterocolitica, Shigella flexneri, Escherichia coli and Salmonella typhi. Methods: IgG against the 60 kDa HSPs of enterobacteria was determined by ELISA in the sera from 49 HLA-B27+ ankylosing spondylitis (AS) patients; 41 HLA-B27+ healthy relatives of AS patients and 101 HLA-B27-unrelated healthy individuals. Results: HLA-B27+ patients and healthy individuals, showed significantly higher IgG antibody levels to the Klebsiella, Yersinia and Salmonella HSPs than HLA-B27-healthy controls. B27+ patients had a significantly higher response to E. coli HSP than the two other groups. IgG response anti-Shigella HSP was similar in the three groups. Conclusions: There is a relationship between HLA-B27 and the response to HSPs 60 from Klebsiella, Yersinia, Escherichia and Salmonella, that may be important in the initiation of AS.