Absence of consistent association between human leukocyte antigen-I and -II alleles and human T-lymphotropic virus type 1 (HTLV-1)-associated myelopathy/tropical spastic paraparesis risk in an HTLV-1 French Afro-Caribbean population.
OBJECTIVE
Human T-cell lymphotropic virus type 1 (HTLV-1) infection leads to the risk of developing HTLV-1-associated myelopathy/tropical spastic paraparesis (HAM/TSP) in less than 5% of cases. The mechanism of disease progression in HAM/TSP remains unknown. A significant role of certain human leukocyte antigen (HLA) genotypes in determining the risk of HAM/TSP has been reported in Japan, where the HLA-A*02 gene has been found to be associated with a lower HTLV-1 provirus load and with protection from HAM/TSP, whereas HLA-DRB1*0101 has been found to be associated with an increased susceptibility to HAM/TSP. The aim of the present case-control study was to investigate the HLA class I and class II allele distribution in HTLV-seropositive French Afro-Caribbean individuals, originating from the French West Indies.


METHODS
Associations with HLA class I (A and B) and class II (DRB1 and DQB1) alleles were tested in 123 HAM/TSP patients and 85 asymptomatic HTLV-1 carriers. HLA typing was undertaken on genomic DNA extracted from peripheral blood leukocytes.


RESULTS
In our cohort, no significant effect on either the risk of developing HAM/TSP or HTLV-1 provirus load was found for HLA class I or class II, including HLA-A*02 (p=0.43).


CONCLUSIONS
Our findings are in contrast to those in the Japanese population, however the literature on HLA associations in HTLV-1 infections across different populations over the past decade have reported conflicting results and this suggests strong ethnic disparities.
Deschamps
Romain
R
Centre de Référence Caribéen des Maladies Rares Neurologiques et Neuro-musculaires, Centre Hospitalier Universitaire Pierre Zobda-Quitman, 97200 Fort de France, Martinique. romain.deschamps@chu-fortdefrance.fr
Béra
Odile
O
Belrose
Gilda
G
Lezin
Agnès
A
Bellance
Rémi
R
Signate
Aissatou
A
Cabre
Philippe
P
Smadja
Didier
D
Césaire
Raymond
R
Olindo
Stephane
S
D000483:Alleles; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D005006:Ethnicity / Q000235:genetics; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D020022:Genetic Predisposition to Disease; D015395:Histocompatibility Antigens Class I / Q000235:genetics*; D000949:Histocompatibility Antigens Class II / Q000235:genetics*; D015368:Human T-lymphotropic virus 1 / Q000276:immunology; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008395:Martinique; D008875:Middle Aged; D015493:Paraparesis, Tropical Spastic / Q000150:complications / Q000208:ethnology / Q000235:genetics*; D011533:Proviruses / Q000235:genetics / Q000276:immunology; D012307:Risk Factors; D019562:Viral Load
D015395:Histocompatibility Antigens Class I; D000949:Histocompatibility Antigens Class II