HLA Genotypes in Patients with Infection Caused by Different Strains of SARS-CoV-2

• Published in: International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health
• Main Authors: Ludmila Bubnova, Irina Pavlova, Maria Terentieva, Tatiana Glazanova, Elena Belyaeva, Sergei Sidorkevich, Nataliya Bashketova, Irina Chkhingeria, Mal’vina Kozhemyakina, Daniil Azarov, Raisa Kuznetsova, Edward S. Ramsay, Anna Gladkikh, Alena Sharova, Vladimir Dedkov, Areg Totolian
• Format: Text
• Language: English
• Published: Multidisciplinary Digital Publishing Institute 2022
• Subjects: COVID-19; HLA; northwestern federal district; Russia; variants of concern; Northwest Russia
• Online Access: https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph192114024

The aggressive infectious nature of SARS-CoV-2, its rapid spread, and the emergence of mutations necessitate investigation of factors contributing to differences in SARS-CoV-2 susceptibility and severity. The role of genetic variations in the human HLA continues to be studied in various populations in terms of both its effect on morbidity and clinical manifestation of illness. The study included 484 COVID-19 convalescents (northwest Russia residents of St. Petersburg). Cases in which the responsible strain was determined were divided in two subgroups: group 1 (n = 231) had illness caused by genovariants unrelated to variant of concern (VOC) strains; and group 2 (n = 80) had illness caused by the delta (B.1.617.2) VOC; and a control group (n = 1456). DNA typing (HLA-A, B, DRB1) was performed at the basic resolution level. HLA-A*02 was associated with protection against infection caused by non-VOC SARS-CoV-2 genetic variants only but not against infection caused by delta strains. HLA-A*03 was associated with protection against infection caused by delta strains; and allele groups associated with infection by delta strains were HLA-A*30, B*49, and B*57. Thus, in northwest Russia, HLA-A*02 was associated with protection against infection caused by non-VOC SARS-CoV-2 genetic variants but not against delta viral strains. HLA-A*03 was associated with a reduced risk of infection by delta SARS-CoV-2 strains. HLA-A*30, HLA-B*49, and HLA-B*57 allele groups were predisposing factors for infection by delta (B.1.617.2) strains.