title: Transmission of HIV-1 and HLA-B allele-sharing within serodiscordant heterosexual Zambian couples.
abstract: Factors that might increase risk of HIV-1 transmission include age, sex, and amount of HIV-1 RNA in plasma, but findings for HLA allele-sharing are not in agreement. We tested the hypothesis that allele sharing at HLA loci is associated with increased risk of transmission of HIV-1 infection in cohabiting heterosexual Zambian couples. We studied 125 initially serodiscordant partners with sequence-confirmed interpartner HIV-1 transmission and 104 couples who were persistently serodiscordant, and we analysed relations with molecularly typed HLA-A, B, and C alleles by survival techniques. After adjustment for other genetic and non-genetic risk factors seen with heterosexual transmission of HIV-1 in this cohort, sharing of HLA-B alleles was independently associated with accelerated intracouple transmission (relative hazard 2.23, 95% CI 1.52-3.26, p<0.0001). Selective pressure by HLA-B alleles on transmitted viruses accords with current understanding of the effect of B locus polymorphism in HIV-1 and perhaps other infections.
authors.affiliation: Department of Epidemiology, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, AL 35294-0022, USA.
authors.forename: M Tevfik
authors.initials: MT
authors.lastname: Dorak
authors.forename: Jianming
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Tang
authors.forename: Ana
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Penman-Aguilar
authors.forename: Andrew O
authors.initials: AO
authors.lastname: Westfall
authors.forename: Isaac
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Zulu
authors.forename: Elena S
authors.initials: ES
authors.lastname: Lobashevsky
authors.forename: Nzali G
authors.initials: NG
authors.lastname: Kancheya
authors.forename: Margaret M
authors.initials: MM
authors.lastname: Schaen
authors.forename: Susan A
authors.initials: SA
authors.lastname: Allen
authors.forename: Richard A
authors.initials: RA
authors.lastname: Kaslow
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000483:Alleles; D000917:Antibody Formation; D005260:Female; D020022:Genetic Predisposition to Disease; D015658:HIV Infections / Q000235:genetics / Q000276:immunology / Q000635:transmission*; D015497:HIV-1 / Q000276:immunology / Q000302:isolation & purification; D006680:HLA Antigens / Q000032:analysis; D015235:HLA-B Antigens / Q000032:analysis* / Q000235:genetics; D020010:Heterosexuality; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction; D012367:RNA, Viral / Q000032:analysis; D012747:Sexual Partners
chemical_list: D006680:HLA Antigens; D015235:HLA-B Antigens; D012367:RNA, Viral