Nomenclature for factors of the HLA system, 1989

Since diarrhoea and weight loss are so characteristic of acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS), it is per- haps ::,urprising that only recently has there been careful investigation of the gastrointestinal tract of affected patienLs. Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection of human intesti- nal mononuclear cells (C. Fiocchi, Cleveland) and of intestinal epi- thelium (M.F. Kagnoff, San Diego) have been demonstrated and it is clear that the changes in the intestinal epithelium are subtly differ- ent from those of other infectious and inflammatory diseases of the gut (M. Zeitz0 Berlin; A.G. Cummins, Adela!de). This report has concentrated al- most entirely on the gastrointestinal tract since that is mv ,~wn interest, but paoers relevant to other mucosal surfaces including the eye, the nose, the genital tract, the urinary tract and respiratory system were abundant; two interesting papers demonstrated possible effects of cigarette smoking on mucosal immunology (G.F. Cope, Leeds; J.R. Barton, Edinburgh). J. Holmgren and A.M. Svennerhoim (Gothenburg) separately presented details of progress in the develop- ment and application oral vac- cines; the oral cholera vaccine containing cholera B sub-unit cross- reacts immunologically with E. coil heat labile enterotoxin (LT) and has been shown to afford significant pro- tection against diarrhoea caused by LT producing enterotoxigenic E. coil (ETEC) in humans. Anne Ferguson is at the Department of Medi- cine, Western General Hospital, Edinbu~h EH4 2XU, UK. The WHO Nomenclature Committee for Factors of the HLA System t met during the Seventh Intematin. nal Congress of Im- munology to consider additions to pre- vious reports. Here new data on DNA sequences of alleles and of three new loci are presented and names of new a/le!~s and led defined by nucleotide or inferred amino acid sequences are given.