We investigated the genetic mechanisms underlying the association between human leukocyte antigen (HLA) types and the immune response to hepatitis B virus (HBV) vaccination in 84 healthy Japanese adults, and found that the HLA-DRB1＊04 and HLA-DQB1＊03 frequencies were higher in the low responders (<10 mIU/ml; n=9, 10.7%) compared to the responders (≥10 mIU/ml, n=75, 89.3%). The combination of DRB1＊04 and DQB1＊03 was associated with a low response to vaccination. The DRB1＊04 and DQB1＊03 haplotypes' frequencies were significantly higher in the low responders compared to responders. Novel candidate HLA types may be important in Japanese individuals.
Keywords: HBV vaccine; HLA class II; Japanese; antibody response; low-responder.