Background: Previous studies have suggested an influence of HLA molecules on the regulation of the anti Mycobacterium leprae immune response.
Methods: DNA typing of HLA-DRB1 alleles in 71 leprosy patients and 81 healthy controls was performed. Genomic DNA was extracted from peripheral blood and used as a template to amplify the polymorphic second exon of the HLA-DRB1 by the polymerase chain reaction (PCR). PCR products were hybridized separately with sequence-specific oligonucleotides.
Results: DRB1*1401 and DRB1*1406 alleles were significantly more prevalent in leprosy patients, whereas a decreased frequency of DRB1*0808 and DRB1*1103 alleles was found, by comparison with the group control.
Conclusions: The HLA-DRB1 alleles could act alone or in combination with other genes to confer differential susceptibility and also protection to leprosy disease in endemic areas of the American continent.