HLA-DR-DQ alleles and HLA-DP alleles are independently associated with susceptibility to different stages of post-schistosomal hepatic fibrosis in the Chinese population

Evaluation of human leukocyte antigen (HLA) class I and class II genes was performed on patients from China with Schistosomiasis japonica. Patients we re categorized as grade 0 (n=44), grade I (n=81), grade II (n=99), or grade III (n=6) based on increasing severity of hepatic fibrosis due to repeated Schistosoma japonicum infections. These results show that the HLA-DRB1*110 1-DQA1*0501-DQB1*0301 (P-c<0.02) and HLA- DRB1*1501-DRB5*0101 (P-c<0.02) ha plotypes are associated with protection and susceptibility to grade I fibro sis, respectively and that the HLA-PA1*0103- DPB1*0201 haplotype (P-c<0.02) is associated with protection from both grade II and III severe fibrosis. There was no association between HLA-B DNA haplotypes and the disease. Thes e findings indicate that the HLA-class II molecules play a role in preventi ng or promoting fibrotic liver change after deposition with Schistosome egg s. Moreover, a tendency was observed within the HLA class II genes for the HLA-DR-DQ alleles to be associated with protection against early changes in liver fibrosis, whereas HLA-DP alleles were associated with protection fro m the late phase of fibrosis or severe hepatosplenic schistosomiasis.