%A Joko S
%A Numaga J
%A Kawashima H
%A Namisato M
%A Maeda H


%T Human leukocyte antigens in forms of leprosy among japanese patients

%0 Journal Article

%D 2000

%J International Journal of Leprosy and other Mycobacterial Diseases

%P 0148-916X

%V 68

%N 1

%X Human leukocyte antigens (HLA) class II alleles were analyzed among Japanese leprosy patients to ascertain whether immunogenctic differences exist among the leprosy classification forms of Ridley and Jopling. Ninetγ-three unrelated Japanese leprosy patients (21 lepromatous, 24 borderline lepromatous, 17 mid-borderline, 26 borderline tuberculoid, 5 tuberculoid) and 114 healthy control subjects were investigated. The frequencies of HLA-DRB 1 * 1501, -DRB5*0101, -DQA1 *() 102 and DQB1 *0602 were significantly increased in all of the Japanese leprosy patients. The frequencies of HLA-DRB 1*0405, -DQA 1*03 and -DQB 1*0401 were significantly decreased in the Japanese patients after correction of the p value. Conversely, there were no significantly different distributions of the HLA-DRB 1, -DRB5, -DQA1, DQB1 alleles in the five subgroups of these patients. We conclude that HLA class II alleles were not associated with the form of leprosy. Other HLA, a non-HLA gene, and/or environmental factors may play a critical role in the different manifestations of leprosy.