Herpes gestationis. A high titre of anti-HLA-B8 antibody in the mother and pemphigoid-like immunohistological findings in the mother and the child.

A mother with herpes gestationis and her child without cutaneous lesions had analogous immunohistological findings. In the skin they had deposits of IgG and C3 component of complement at the basement membrane zone. Circulating IgG antibody to the basement membrane was also demonstrated in both. The mother also had a high titre of anti-HLA antibody against a histocompatibility antigen (HLA-B8) present in the child. A possible role of this HLA antibody in the pathomechanism of herpes gestationis is discussed.