Herpes gestationis factor reacts with the amniotic epithelial basement membrane.

Sera from five patients with clinically and immunopathologically proven herpes gestationis were studied by complement fixing immunofluorescence and complement fixing immuno-electron microscopy using specimens of skin, amniochorion and placenta. The results demonstrated that the complement fixation antibody (herpes gestationis factor) could bind to the basement membrane zone of skin, amnion and chorion laeve but not to that of the placental syncytiotrophoblast. These data suggest that the herpes gestationis factor may be induced by the basement membrane zone antigens of extra-villous cytotrophoblasts.