Prevalence of HLA-B27 among donors and recipients for renal and bone marrow transplantation in Mauritius.

In this study, the frequency of the tissue antigen HLA-B27 is studied in 494 donors and recipients for renal and bone marrow transplantation on the multi-ethnic island of Mauritius, the majority of the population of which is of Indian descent. Although results showed a prevalence rate of 4.3%, inter-racial variation was not observed between the major ethnic groups (P>0.05). These findings are comparable with the results of studies on HLA-B27 prevalence rate in India, and lend support to the argument that the HLA-B27 test should not be used on a routine basis to diagnose HLA-B27-related rheumatic disorders in Mauritius.