15 Years of immunogenetic HLA proficiency testing in Southern Italy

"The participation in the external proficiency testing (EPT) workshops gives the opportunity to verify HLA typing results of a laboratory. comparing and analyzing its results with other participants. In 1996, the Regional Reference Laboratory of Transplant Immunology (LIT). of Campania started to the Quality Control for Regional HLA typing labs (CQR) working in the field of Organ and \/ or Stem Cells. Transplantation. Initially, the number of laboratory participants for serological HLA typing was 6. Later, more laboratories were involved.. The success of regional trials prompted us, as also requested from Mayor Institute of Health (ISS) and Italian National Transplant Center,. to expand the activity to the southern Italian regions, involving together with Campania also Calabria, Puglia and Sicilia. Information and. invitation letters were sent to 24 laboratories of southem Italy involved in HLA typing for The Proficiency Testing of HLA Class I & II.. Separate schemes have been provided for the three techniques routinely used: complement-dependent cytotoxicity (CDC), DNA low. resolution and, since 2009, high resolution only for DRB1. All samples submitted were selected to cover all the most common antigens.. In each trail each laboratory has been given a lab.code. Since the results of the first two years were heterogeneous and incomplete for most of the participants, the LIT decided not to proceed with the evaluation, and considered it as a mere exercise. Since 2000, we have. adopted the guidelines of EFI and ISS for HLA typing EPT. One discrepancy was considered as the maximum number allowed for each. technique. Most labs had problems with HLA-C and -DQ locus typing. They could not type antigens of these loci. From 1996 to 2010 all. the data have been analyzed at LIT and the results discussed versus the consensus typing. The participants have also received the. summary of all submitted results followed by an appropriate certificate, necessary for EFI accreditation."