HLA antigens and nontuberculous mycobacterial lung disease in Korean patients.
BACKGROUND
Human leukocyte antigen (HLA) molecules are known to play an important role in host-defense mechanisms. The aim of this study was to evaluate the association between HLA alleles and lung disease caused by nontuberculous mycobacteria (NTM) in Korean patients.


METHODS
Seventy-eight patients with NTM lung disease (48 patients with Mycobacterium avium-intracellulare complex [MAC] infection and 30 patients with Mycobacterium abscessus infection) were included in the study. HLA-A, -B, and -DRB1 genotyping was performed by polymerase chain reaction using sequence-specific primers. Data from 485 healthy Korean individuals were used as a control.


RESULTS
When compared to controls, patients with NTM lung disease showed an increased frequency of DRB1*11 (OR = 1.91, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 1.01-3.64, p = 0.045, corrected p [pC] > 0.05). In the subgroup analysis, patients with MAC lung disease had an increased frequency of B*46 (OR = 2.23, 95% CI = 1.05-4.73, p = 0.044, pC > 0.05).


CONCLUSIONS
Our data suggest that in a Korean population, patients with NTM lung disease and healthy subjects differ in the frequencies of some HLA alleles. However, when considering corrected p values, our findings are inconclusive.
Um
Sang-Won
SW
Division of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine, Department of Medicine, Samsung Medical Center, Sungkyunkwan University School of Medicine, 50 Irwon-dong, Gangnam-gu, Seoul, 135-710, Korea.
Ki
Chang-Seok
CS
Kwon
O Jung
OJ
Koh
Won-Jung
WJ
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D044466:Asian People; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D005260:Female; D005787:Gene Frequency; D005838:Genotype; D006680:HLA Antigens / Q000235:genetics*; D015234:HLA-A Antigens / Q000235:genetics; D015235:HLA-B Antigens / Q000235:genetics; D006684:HLA-DR Antigens / Q000235:genetics; D059811:HLA-DRB1 Chains; D006801:Humans; D007723:Korea / Q000453:epidemiology; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D015269:Mycobacterium avium Complex / Q000276:immunology*; D015270:Mycobacterium avium-intracellulare Infection / Q000208:ethnology / Q000276:immunology* / Q000382:microbiology; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction; D012141:Respiratory Tract Infections / Q000208:ethnology / Q000276:immunology* / Q000382:microbiology; D055815:Young Adult
D006680:HLA Antigens; D015234:HLA-A Antigens; D015235:HLA-B Antigens; D006684:HLA-DR Antigens; D059811:HLA-DRB1 Chains