title: Association of Propionibacterium acnes endophthalmitis with HLA-DQw5.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  An HLA-DQ1 association has been suspected in patients who develop Propionibacterium acnes endophthalmitis following cataract surgery. New techniques exist which may help to define this association.
  
  
  METHODS
  Patients with culture-proven P. acnes endophthalmitis following cataract surgery were HLA-typed with new sera able to detect fine specificities in the HLA-DQ1 region and compared to a large number of racially-matched controls. Sequence-specific oligonucleotide typing with probes and primers designed to amplify and define the HLA-DQ1 region was then performed. P. acnes patients were compared to HLA-DQ1-matched controls who had undergone cataract surgery but had no evidence of chronic post-operative inflammation.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Thirteen of 15 P. acnes patients (87%) were serologically defined as carrying a split of DQw1 (DQw5 or DQ26). HLA DQw5 was increased to a statistically significant degree (p < 0.014) with an odds ratio of 3.72 (95% confidence interval 1.34 to 10.31). Sequence-specific oligonucleotide typing confirmed the DQw5 predominance: Seventy-three percent of P. acnes patients had DQB1 (*)0501 or DQB1 (*)0503 vs. 33% of DQw1-matched cataract patients without inflammation (not significant).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  HLA-DQ2w5 is associated with the development of P. acnes endophthalmitis following cataract surgery. The molecular mechanism of this association is unknown.
authors: University of Miami School of Medicine, Department of Ophthalmology, Miami, FL.
authors: J L
authors: JL
authors: Davis
authors: K R
authors: KR
authors: Winward
authors: E C
authors: EC
authors: Lonardo
authors: R B
authors: RB
authors: Nussenblatt
authors: D M
authors: DM
authors: Meisler
authors: T D
authors: TD
authors: Lee