HLA and other host factors in transfusion-acquired HIV-1 infection

The host and viral factors that underlie infection with HIV-1 vary consider ably with some individuals progressing to AIDS within 3 to 5 years after in fection, whereas others remain clinically asymptomatic for over 10 years. H ost factors thar may contribute to disease progression include HLA and alle lic variants of the chemokine receptors CCR5 and CCR2, which have been show n to influence both long-term survival and rapid progression. In this study , we have examined the contribution of HT-A and polymorphisms in CCR5 and C CR2 to long-term survival in transfusion-acquired HIV-1-infrcted individual s. We have found a higher number of HLA-A32 and -A25 alleles bur a lower nu mber of the HLA-B8 allele in the study group compared with the frequencies seen in the HIV-1-negative Australian caucasian population. However, there was no apparent contribution by allelic variants of CCR5 and CCR2 to long-t erm survival and the combined influence of HLA and CCR polymorphisms could not be evaluated in this relatively small (n = 20) group of study subjects. The results of this work support a role for HLA in long-term nonprogressio n though the presence in the Sydney Blood Lank Cohort of nef-defective HIV- 1 map confound associations between certain HLA alleles and long-term survi val in the face of infection with HIV-1. Human Immunology 61, 172-176 (2000 ). (C) American Society for Histocompatibility and Immunogenetics, 2000. Pu blished by Elsevier Science Inc.