@article{7876,
  keywords = {Alleles, Argentina, Female, HLA-DR Antigens, HLA-DRB1 Chains, Humans, leprosy, Male, Middle Aged},
  author = {Borrás SG and Cotorruelo C and Racca L and Recarte M and Garcías C and Biondi C and Bottasso O and Racca A},
  title = {Association of leprosy with HLA-DRB1 in an Argentinean population.},
  abstract = {<p><b>BACKGROUND: </b>Previous studies have suggested an influence of HLA molecules on the regulation of the anti Mycobacterium leprae immune response.</p><p><b>METHODS: </b>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.</p><p><b>RESULTS: </b>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.</p><p><b>CONCLUSIONS: </b>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.</p>},
  year = {2008},
  journal = {Annals of clinical biochemistry},
  volume = {45},
  pages = {96-8},
  month = {2008 Jan},
  issn = {0004-5632},
  url = {http://acb.sagepub.com/content/45/1/96.full.pdf+html},
  doi = {10.1258/acb.2007.007156},
  language = {eng},
}