Related Experiment Video
Updated: Apr 1, 2026

Subcutaneous Infection of Methicillin Resistant Staphylococcus Aureus MRSA
Published on: February 9, 2011
Polymorphisms in HLA Class II Genes Are Associated With Susceptibility to Staphylococcus aureus Infection in a White
Gerald N DeLorenze1, Charlotte L Nelson2, William K Scott3
1Division of Research, Kaiser Permanente Northern California, Oakland.
Background:
Staphylococcus aureus can cause life-threatening infections. Human susceptibility to S. aureus infection may be influenced by host genetic variation.
Methods:
A genome-wide association study (GWAS) in a large health plan-based cohort included biologic specimens from 4701 culture-confirmed S. aureus cases and 45 344 matched controls; 584 535 single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) were genotyped on an array specific to individuals of European ancestry. Coverage was increased by imputation of >25 million common SNPs, using the 1000 Genomes Reference panel. In addition, human leukocyte antigen (HLA) serotypes were also imputed.
Results:
Logistic regression analysis, performed under the assumption of an additive genetic model, revealed several imputed SNPs (eg, rs115231074: odds ratio [OR], 1.22 [P = 1.3 × 10(-10)]; rs35079132: OR, 1.24 [P = 3.8 × 10(-8)]) achieving genome-wide significance on chromosome 6 in the HLA class II region. One adjacent genotyped SNP was nearly genome-wide significant (rs4321864: OR, 1.13; P = 8.8 × 10(-8)). These polymorphisms are located near the genes encoding HLA-DRA and HLA-DRB1. Results of further logistic regression analysis, in which the most significant GWAS SNPs were conditioned on HLA-DRB1*04 serotype, showed additional support for the strength of association between HLA class II genetic variants and S. aureus infection.
Conclusions:
Our study results are the first reported evidence of human genetic susceptibility to S. aureus infection.
Related Concept Videos
Genome-wide Association Studies-GWAS
GWAS does not require the identification of the target gene involved in...
Staphylococcal Skin Infections
Clinical Significance of Antibiotic Resistance
Mechanism of Antibiotic Resistance in MRSA
Single Nucleotide Polymorphisms-SNPs
Pharmacogenetics of Drug Targets: β₂-Adrenergic Receptors, Apo E, Thymidylate Synthase

