HLA-A*33:01 as protective allele for severe dengue in a population of Filipino children

PLoS One. 2015 Feb 6;10(2):e0115619. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0115619. eCollection 2015.

Abstract

Dengue virus infection is a leading cause of morbidity among children in the Philippines in recent years. In order to investigate the association of HLA Class I and II alleles and dengue disease severity in a cohort of Filipino children, we performed a case control study in 2 hospitals in Metro Manila from June 2008 to December 2009. A total of 250 laboratory confirmed dengue patients and 300 healthy individuals aged 5 to 15 years old were typed for HLA-A, B and DRB1 alleles. The frequency of HLA-A*33:01 was significantly decreased in severe dengue (DHF/ DSS; Pc = 0.0016)) and DSS (Pc = 0.0032) compared to the background population. These findings support a previous study that this allele may confer protection against the severe form of dengue and provide the first evidence of HLA association with dengue in the Philippines. Future studies should be directed in investigating the possible mechanisms of protection.

Publication types

  • Clinical Trial
  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Adolescent
  • Alleles*
  • Child
  • Child, Preschool
  • Dengue* / epidemiology
  • Dengue* / genetics
  • Dengue* / immunology
  • Female
  • HLA-A Antigens* / genetics
  • HLA-A Antigens* / immunology
  • Humans
  • Male
  • Philippines / epidemiology
  • Severity of Illness Index

Substances

  • HLA-A Antigens
  • HLA-A*33 antigen

Grants and funding

This study was supported in part by the Global Centers of Excellence Program of the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology of Japan, Japan Initiative for Global Research Network on Infectious Diseases (J-GRID) and the Philippine Children’s Medical Center Research Funds. ESM is an Awardee of Japan Society for the Promotion of Science (JSPS) RONPAKU (Dissertation PhD) Program.