Relationship of HLA-B alleles on susceptibility to and protection from HIV infection in Turkish population.

OBJECTIVE

Many human leukocyte antigen (HLA)-B alleles are associated with an increased risk of Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS) and Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) progression; however, their distribution varies among different racial/ethnic groups. Abacavir used in the treatment of AIDS significantly increases the risk of hypersensitivity reactions in patients with HLA-B57:01. The aim of this study was to determine the distribution of HIV-associated HLA-B subgroups (high and low resolution) and HLA-B57:01 associated with Abacavir sensitivity in Turkiye.

METHODS

This retrospective case-control study consisted of 416 (F/M:111/305) HIV positive patients and 416 (F/M:111/305) healthy controls. HLA-B alleles were identified using Luminex based low-resolution method and further subgrouped by sequence-based high-resolution typing.

RESULTS

Our data showed that in patients with HIV-1 infection, HLA-B*15, *35, and 51 allele frequencies were higher, while the HLA-B07, *14 and 55 allele frequencies were lower as compared to the controls. It was determined that HLA-B15:01, *35:01, *35:08, and 51:01 alleles frequencies were higher in the patients with HIV-1 infection compared to the controls as HLA-B07:02, *14:01, *44:01, and 55:01 allele frequencies were detected low. HLA-B57:01 allele positivity, which is important in Abacavir hypersensitivity, was lower than controls, and this difference was not statistically significant.

CONCLUSION

Our results suggest that, HLA-B*07, *14, and 55 alleles and HLA-B07:02, *14:01, *44:01, and 55:01 subgroups might have a protective effect, while HLA-B15, *35, and 51 alleles and HLA-B15:01, *35:01, *35:08, and *51:01 subgroups might play a role in susceptibility to HIV-1 infection.