title: Analysis of HLA association among North Indian HIV-positive individuals co-infected with Mycobacterium tuberculosis.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Genetic variation in HLA genes influence the immune response and may thus contribute to differential development of tuberculosis (TB) in HIV-infected individuals. The study was designed to determine whether HLA polymorphisms influence the development of Mycobacterium tuberculosis infection in HIV-infected individuals.
  
  
  METHODS
  Fifty HIV-positive individuals without TB (HIV+TB-), 50 HIV patients co-infected with TB (HIV+TB+) and 50 control subjects (HIV-TB-) were analyzed for HLA Class I and II polymorphisms.
  
  
  RESULTS
  In HLA Class II, frequency of occurrence of DRB1*13 (OR 3.165, CI 1.176-8.518, P value 0.019), DRB5 (OR 2.253, CI 1.011-5.019, P value 0.045) and DQB1*06 (OR 2.705, CI 1.197-6.113, P value 0.016) were increased in HIV+TB+compared to HIV+TB-. HLA DQB1*02 (OR 0.436, CI 0.185-1.029, P value 0.05) on the other hand conferred a protective role. In HLA Class I, frequency of B*15 (OR 2.705, CI 1.040-7.036, P value 0.038) was increased, whereas B*51 (OR 0.148, CI 0.031-0.706, P value 0.007) was decreased in HIV+TB+group compared to HIV+TB-. These differences however were not significant when compared with healthy controls.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  HLA polymorphisms independently did not account for the susceptibility to either of the disease mostly, although they seem to play a role once the infection(s) has established in a particular individual. Further studies are needed on a larger sample size to confirm these observations.
authors.affiliation: Department of Immunopathology, Postgraduate Institute of Medical Education and Research, Chandigarh, Haryana and Punjab, India.
authors.forename: Biman
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Saikia
authors.affiliation: Department of Internal Medicine, Postgraduate Institute of Medical Education and Research, Chandigarh, Haryana and Punjab, India.
authors.forename: Ajay
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Wanchu
authors.affiliation: Department of Immunopathology, Postgraduate Institute of Medical Education and Research, Chandigarh, Haryana and Punjab, India.
authors.forename: Sobhana
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Mahakur
authors.affiliation: Department of Immunopathology, Postgraduate Institute of Medical Education and Research, Chandigarh, Haryana and Punjab, India.
authors.forename: Mahendra
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Bind
authors.affiliation: Department of Immunopathology, Postgraduate Institute of Medical Education and Research, Chandigarh, Haryana and Punjab, India.
authors.forename: Krishnakali
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Sarkar
authors.affiliation: Department of Immunopathology, Postgraduate Institute of Medical Education and Research, Chandigarh, Haryana and Punjab, India.
authors.forename: Ranjana W
authors.initials: RW
authors.lastname: Minz
keywords: HIV-TB co-infection; HLA association; north India