A family was studied in which three members in the sibship belonging to the fourth generation were found to have Rotor’s syndrome. More detailed examinations including blood studies, liver profiles, oral cholecystograms, and liver biopsies where performed on the affected siblings. The results were related to what is at present known about the features and mechanisms of Rotor’s syndrome, pari passu the current concept of bilirubin metabolism. It is suggested that the constant finding, and possibly the only characteristic one in Rotor’s syndrome, is the absence of abnormal hepatic cell pigmentation. Pedigree analysis of the present family shows that the transmission of this disorder may be conditioned by an autosomal recessive gene.
Hyperbilirubinemia, Hereditary

Eighteen (18) cases of Chikungunya (or a very close related virus) infection, a newly observed clinical entity in the Philippines, are presented. Diagnosis was established by serological studies consisting of hemagglutination- inhibition (HI) and complement fixation (CF) tests. The clinical picture is characterized by a symptom-complex consisting essentially of fever, severe, incapacitating, recurrent joint pains and a rash. There is no involvement of the respiratory system and no bleeding tendencies were observed. The erythrocyte sedimentation rate was elevated, more so towards the later part of the illness. The platelet counts were normal. No residual joint deformity morbidity or mortality was encountered.
Chikungunya virus

Ankylosing spondylitis has been shown to be highly associated with HLA-B27 in Caucasian patients. This is also present in other ethnic groups. This study was conducted to determine the frequency distribution of HLA antigens in Filipinos and determine the association of ankylosing spondylitis. Twenty patients satisfying the criteria for ankylosing spondylitis and 192 unrelated controls were HLA-A and B typed. Blood from these subjects were typed using NIH lymphocyte microcyto-toxicity method. Of the unrelated controls, the frequencies of HLA A9 (w24), B40, A1, B5, Bw22 were increased and B13, B18, Bw35 were decreased. B27 had a frequency of 5.2%. A very significant high frequency of B27 (90%) was found in patients with ankylosing spondylitis with a very high relative risk of 163. A11 had a frequency of 55% with a relative risk of 3.37 which was not significant while B18 had an 18% frequency and a relative risk of 10.5 which was significant. This study reaffirms the high degree of association of ankylosing spondylitis with HLA B27 and suggests than B18 may be an additional genetic marker for this disease.
HLA Antigens ; Spondylitis, Ankylosing