Association between HLA-DRB1* polymorphisms and hepatitis B infection in a brazilian population

The aim of the present study was to determine the genotype association for alleles of class II human leukocyte antigens (HLA) in the DRB1* locus among blood donors at the Fundação Hemope (Brazil) infected by or immunized for the hepatitis B virus (HBV).

A case-control study was performed, comprising a group of individuals infected by HBV and a control group of immunized individuals at a proportion of 1:4. Blood samples were taken for the HLA typing of the DRB1* locus. Univariate and multivariate analyses were performed for the assessment of associations between the categorical variables using the chi-squared test and Fisher's exact test.

A total of 320 blood donors were analyzed (241 males [75%] and 79 females [25%] with a mean age of 39 years). The case group consisted of 64 HBV-infected donors and the control group was composed of 256 HBV-immunized donors. The multivariate analysis stratified by gender revealed that the DRB1*09 allele was associated with infected male donors (p = 0.016) and the DRB1*08 allele was associated with infected donors aged 39 years or younger (p = 0.031).

The results of the present study reveal that younger blood donors and male blood donors who respectively exhibit the DRB1*08 and DRB1*09 alleles are more susceptible to intensification of HBV infection.