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. 2019 Jul 23;19(1):249.
doi: 10.1186/s12887-019-1620-6.

HLA A*32 is associated to HIV acquisition while B*44 and B*53 are associated with protection against HIV acquisition in perinatally exposed infants

Linda Mouafo Mekue  1   2   3 , Céline Nguefeu Nkenfou  4   5 , Elvis Ndukong  1   2   3 , Leaticia Yatchou  2 , Beatrice Dambaya  2 , Marie-Nicole Ngoufack  2 , Joel Kadji Kameni  2 , Jules-Roger Kuiaté  1 , Alexis Ndjolo  2   6
Affiliations

HLA A*32 is associated to HIV acquisition while B*44 and B*53 are associated with protection against HIV acquisition in perinatally exposed infants

Linda Mouafo Mekue et al. BMC Pediatr. .

Abstract

Background: Human leukocyte antigen (HLA) molecules play a key role in the cellular immune system. They may be determinants of mother-to-child transmission which is the driving force in pediatric HIV infection. We intended to look at the impact of the distribution of these polymorphic HLA genes in the mother-to-child transmission (MTCT) of HIV in Cameroon.

Methods: A total of 156 mother-baby pairs were enrolled in three hospitals of Yaounde, capital of Cameroon. After the extraction of the DNA from blood samples using the Qiagen Kit as per manufacturer' instructions, the polymorphism of the HLA class 1 ABC was determined using the PCR- sequence specific primers assay.

Results: The distribution of HLA class 1 revealed that none of the allele studied was associated with transmitters or non-transmitters, so was not implicated in transmission. The regression analysis showed that HLA A*32 [OR 0.062 (CI; 0.0075 to 0.51)] is associated with HIV acquisition while HLA B*44 [OR 0.47 (CI; 0.21 to 1.14)] and HLA B*53 [OR; 0.14 (CI; 0.018 to 1.22)] were implicated in reducing the acquisition of HIV by infants. The homozygosity of locus C [OR 6.99 (CI; 1.81 to 26.88), p = 0.0027] was found as a risk factor for the acquisition, while the A*32-B*44 haplotype [OR 10.1 (CI 1.17 to 87.87), p = 0.03] was a risk factor for the transmission.

Conclusion: This study has found that HLA A*32, B*44 and B*53 have an impact in MTCT outcomes. The homozygosity of locus C and the A*32-B*44 haplotype were risk factors for acquisition and transmission respectively.

Keywords: Cameroon; HIV; HIV acquisition; HLA genotype; Haplotype; Homozygosity; Mother-to-child transmission.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare that they have no competing interests.

Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
Electrophoregram of a maternal sample for the HLA ABC genotyping. The specific expected bands are found between the internal control and the primer dimer. Positive reaction (gel (a): 1 g, 2f, 4 h, 4 g, 4d, 4b, 6d, 7f, 7d,7a; gel (b): 8 h, 8 g,9 h,10f,11 g,11f,12d), negative control (12a)
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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