Background: The ethnic influence makes it difficult to reach a consensual definition of host-dependent genetic factors controlling the hepatitis C virus (HCV) disease course.
Aims: To investigate, in an ethnically complex Brazilian population, whether human leucocyte antigen (HLA) molecules are associated with susceptibility to HCV infection, self-limiting viral clearance and predisposition to chronic disease.
Methods: One hundred and four HCV-antibody-positive patients (stratified into groups with spontaneous viral clearance and chronic HCV infection) and 166 healthy controls were submitted to HLA genotyping.
Results: Two strong associations were observed between the susceptibility to HCV infection and DRB3 [odds ratio (OR), 4.03; 95% confidence interval (CI), 2.40-6.77; P(c)=0.0000041] and DQB1*02 (OR, 1.72; 95% CI, 1.05-2.84; P=0.041), and between the spontaneous viral clearance and DRB1*01 (OR, 4.59; 95% CI, 1.70-12.41; P=0.003) and DQB1*03 (OR, 2.83; 95% CI, 1.14-7.02; P=0.029). No evidence was observed regarding the epidemiology or viral genotype influence on the disease course.
Conclusion: We could confirm with a highly admixed population the association of viral clearance with two allele groups (DRB1*01 and DQB1*03) previously reported in homogeneous populations. The identification of DRB1*01 and DQB1*03 involved with self-limiting hepatitis in different ethnic groups is a very important finding that will contribute to the current knowledge about HCV-host interaction and the development of therapeutic vaccines.