RESUMEN
To determine frequency of HLA-B27 in brucellosis patients and to investigate a possible association between osteoarticular bruceltosis and HLA-B27 antigen. Sixty patients with serotogicatly confirmed brucettosis and 100 healthy controls were screened for HLA-B27 by using standard microlymphocytotoxicity method. Osteoarticular involvement was suggested by clinical presentation and confirmed by nuclear scan. Patients were placed in two groups and compared, patients with osteoarticular involvement [OAP group] and without osteoarticular involvement [OAN group]. All data were analyzed by SPSS [versionl 11.5, USA] and using Fisher's exact X2 test. Out of total 60 patients with brucellosis 38 [63.3%] were male. Mean age of the patients were 36.2 +/- 12.3 with the range of 18-65 years. HLA-B27 test was positive in 11 patients [18.33%] with brucellosis, whereas in control group HLA-B27 positivity was 7% [p<0.05].The prevalence of HLA-B27 in OAP and OAN groups was 33.33% and 8.33%, respectively [p<0.05]. The prevalence of HLA-B27 in our bruceltosis patients is higher than normal population and there is a significant association between HLA-B27 and bruceltar osteoarthritis in the region of study