Purpose: Occupational trichloroethylene hypersensitivity syndrome (OTHS) clinically manifests as generalized severe rash resembling drug-induced hypersensitivity syndrome (DIHS) and afflicts predominantly HLA-B*13:01 gene carriers after their exposure to trichloroethylene. Meanwhile, OTHS may also be associated with human herpesvirus such as herpesvirus-6 (HHV6) and cytomegalovirus (HCMV) reported to participate in the pathology of DIHS. This study explored the association of carrying HHV6 and HCMV, and the joint association of carrying HLA-B*13:01 and HHV6 and HCMV with OTHS.
Methods: We recruited 30 OTHS patients and 40 trichloroethylene-exposed healthy workers as cases and controls, respectively. HLA-B*13:01 was genotyped and HHV6 and HCMV DNA were detected in the DNA extracted from whole-blood sample of each participant with PCR techniques. Positive rates of HLA-B*13:01 gene and HHV6 and HCMV DNA and their association with OTHS were then analyzed.
Results: The OTHS cases showed significantly higher positive rates of HLA-B*13:01 gene and HHV6 DNA, but not HCMV DNA, than the controls (83.3% vs. 25.0% and 56.7% vs. 10.0%, respectively, both P < 0.001). Positive rate of HHV6 DNA was significantly higher in HLA-B*13:01 carriers than in non-carriers in the cases (68.0% vs. 0, P = 0.005), but not in the controls. Carrying HLA-B*13:01 and HHV6 had an interactive effect on OTHS (OR = 91.80, P < 0.001).
Conclusions: Carrying HLA-B*13:01 and HHV6 may be associated with OTHS; furthermore, carrying HLA-B*13:01 and HHV6 may be jointly associated with OTHS.
Keywords: Human cytomegalovirus; Human herpesvirus-6; Human leukocyte antigen; Hypersensitivity syndrome; Trichloroethylene.