PERSISTENCE OF CYTOTOXIC ANTIBODIES TO HLA‐A,B,C ANTIGENS AND TO Ia‐LIKE ANTIGENS IN PAROUS WOMEN

Abstract
Cytotoxic antibodies to HLA-A,B,C and to Ia-like antigens were detected in .apprx. 8% of sera drawn from 1312 women several years after their last pregnancy. In the majority of sera anti Ia-like antigen antibodies were not associated with anti HLA-A,B,C antibodies. Persistence of both types of antibodies was not correlated with the number of pregnancies and with the time interval between the last immunizing stimulus and the drawing of the sample. Testing of the sera with a panel of HLA typed lymphocytes identified 20 sera specific for HLA-A,B alloantigens and 7 specific for Ia-like alloantigens.