Association of human-leukocyte-antigen class I (B*0703) and class II (DRB1*0301) genotypes with susceptibility and resistance to the development of severe acute respiratory syndrome

Severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) is a public health concern worldwide. By studying the human leukocyte antigen (HLA) types A, B, DR, and DQ alleles in 90 Chinese patients with serologically confirmed SARS infections, we identified a strong association between HLA-B*0703 (OR, 4.08; 95% CI, 2.03-8.18; P=.00072[ Bonferroni-corrected P value, P-c<.0022]) and -DRB1*0301 (OR, 0.06; 95%, 0.01-0.47; P=.00008 [after Bonferroni correction, P<.0042]) and the development of SARS. Moreover, the frequency of B*0703 and B60 coinheritance (9.6%; 95% CI, 4.6%-19.0%) in our SARS group was significantly higher (P=3x10(-9)) than that expected in the general population (0.4%). These genetic data will critically affect both the study of the pathogenesis of SARS and the design of vaccination programs.