The distribution of HLA antigens in Italy

Human histocompatibility (HLA) gene frequencies were studied in the Italian population. A random sample of healthy individuals born in several Italian regions and provinces was studied to estimate HLA-A, -B, -C and -DR gene frequencies using the maximum likelihood method. The goodness of fit to Hardy-Weinberg proportions was evaluated by the likelihood ratio statistics. Different Italian regions and provinces show significant differences in the HLA alleles, providing further evidence for the genetic heterogeneity in the Italian population. This heterogeneity is also displayed by a synthetic geographical representation which uses colour to map the most informative gene differences. Statistically significant gametic associations between HLA-A, -B, -C and -DR loci are reported. The difference between northern and southern Italy and between continental Italy and Sardegna is clearly shown also by their heterogeneous linkage disequilibria.