title: Frequency of streptococcal upper respiratory tract infections and HLA-Cw*06 allele in 70 patients with guttate psoriasis from northern Poland.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  The association of guttate psoriasis with a streptococcal throat infection and HLA-Cw*06 allele is well established in different populations. Nevertheless, only few studies on this form of disease have been performed in the Polish population.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  To analyze the frequencies of streptococcal-induced guttate psoriasis and HLA-Cw*06 allele in 70 patients with guttate psoriasis originating from northern Poland.
  
  
  METHODS
  Seventy patients with guttate psoriasis and 24 healthy volunteers were enrolled into the study. Both groups were sex- and age-matched. The evidence of streptococcal infection was based on the positive throat swabs and/or elevated ASO titers. The modified method, including PCR-SSP and PCR-RFLP, was applied to HLA-Cw*06 genotyping.
  
  
  RESULTS
  HLA-Cw*06 allele was confirmed in 49 (70%) out of 70 patients, which is significantly higher than in the control population (30%) (p = 0.001). Evidence for streptococcal infection was found in 34 (48.5%) subjects with psoriasis. Twenty-seven of them (79%) carried HLA-Cw*06 allele. In 36 individuals in whom no evidence of streptococcal infection was found, 14 (39%) did not carry HLA-Cw*06 allele.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Our data confirm that HLA-Cw*06 is a major, but not imperative, genetic determinant for guttate psoriasis.
authors.affiliation: Department of Dermatology, Venereology and Clinical Immunology, University of Warmia and Mazury, Olsztyn, Poland Head of the Department: Prof. Waldemar Placek MD, PhD.
authors.forename: Agata
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Maciejewska-Radomska
authors.affiliation: Department of Dermatology, Venereology and Allergology, Medical University of Gdansk, Gdansk, Poland Head of the Department: Prof. Roman Nowicki MD, PhD.
authors.forename: Aneta
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Szczerkowska-Dobosz
authors.affiliation: Department of Forensic Medicine, Medical University of Gdansk, Gdansk, Poland Head of the Department: Zbigniew Jankowski MD, PhD.
authors.forename: Krzysztof
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Rębała
authors.affiliation: Department of Forensic Medicine, Medical University of Gdansk, Gdansk, Poland Head of the Department: Zbigniew Jankowski MD, PhD.
authors.forename: Joanna
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Wysocka
authors.affiliation: Department of Dermatology, Venereology and Allergology, Medical University of Gdansk, Gdansk, Poland Head of the Department: Prof. Roman Nowicki MD, PhD.
authors.forename: Jadwiga
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Roszkiewicz
authors.affiliation: Department of Forensic Medicine, Medical University of Gdansk, Gdansk, Poland Head of the Department: Zbigniew Jankowski MD, PhD.
authors.forename: Zofia
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Szczerkowska
authors.affiliation: Department of Dermatology, Venereology and Clinical Immunology, University of Warmia and Mazury, Olsztyn, Poland Head of the Department: Prof. Waldemar Placek MD, PhD.
authors.forename: Waldemar
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Placek
keywords: HLA-Cw*06; guttate psoriasis; human leukocyte antigen; streptococcus pyogenes