Background: Although human leukocyte antigens (HLA) have been shown in association with the outcomes of hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection among different ethnic groups, such studies remain absent in China, where the HCV prevalence is higher than the global average. Methods: In this study, 426 HCV-infected and 709 uninfected blood donors were analyzed, among whom the HLA alleles were sequenced using a high-resolution genotyping method. Results: At the 2-digit level, none of the alleles showed a statistical difference between the HCV-infected and uninfected groups. However, at the 4-digit level, the HLA-B alleles B*15:01 and B*15:02 showed an opposite association with HCV infection, i.e. B*15:01 was significantly higher in the HCV-infected group (odds ratio, OR = 1.561, p = 0.010), while B*15:02 was significantly higher in the uninfected group (OR = 0.778, p = 0.016). We also identified a higher frequency of B*13:02 in the HCV-infected group (OR = 1.515, p = 0.009) and a higher frequency of B*07:05 in the uninfected group (OR = 0.299, p = 0.001). Conclusions: The frequencies of four HLA alleles, B*07:05, B*13:02, B*15:01, and B*15:02, were found to be significantly different between the HCV-infected and uninfected blood donors in China, revealing an inverse relation of B*15:01 and B*15:02 with HCV infection. This finding suggests that the ethnic genetic variations of HLA may greatly affect the host immune responses against HCV.
Synergism of tapasin and human leukocyte antigens in resolving hepatitis C virus infection