Authors:
A. Torío Ruiz (Albacete, ES)
M. Hernández-Cabrera (Las Palmas, ES)
O. Montes-Ares (Murcia, ES)
A. Bosch-Martínez (Las Palmas, ES)
M. Bolaños-Rivero (Las Palmas, ES)
C. Carranza-Rodríguez (Las Palmas, ES)
N. Jaén-Sánchez (Las Palmas, ES)
E. Pisos-Álamo (Las Palmas, ES)
É. Santana-Rodríguez (Las Palmas, ES)
J. Pérez-Arellano (Las Palmas, ES)
Q fever is a bacterial infection caused by Coxiella burnetii that can be spread to humans by infected animals, mainly sheep, cattle and goats. Variations in human immune response genes are well recognized to influence the course of infection, particularly by obligate intracellular pathogens which have a similar cell dependency to that of Coxiella burnetii. The relation between immune response genes variations and disease outcomes may be clarified by the analysis of polymorphic variations in individual candidate genes deduced to be of direct importance in disease pathogenesis. The aim of this study was to determine the possible association of Q fever with 3 polymorphic immune genes (TLR2, TLR4 and HLA-DRB1) in our population. Low resolution HLA-DRB1 typing, TLR2 (Arg753Gln) and TLR4 (Asp299Gly, Thr399Ile) polymorphisms were genotyped in 38 patients with acute Q fever and 38 healthy controls (relatives and patients co-workers). In addition, HLA typing results were compared with a representative sample of 121 donors from the same geographical area (Gran Canaria, Spain). No differences were observed in the three TLR polymorphisms studied. However, when the results of HLA-DRB1 frequencies of the patients were compared with their control group, an increase in the frequency of HLA-DRB1*04 (26.68% vs. 14.67%; p=0.049, pc=ns) and HLA-DRB1*16 (3.5% vs. 0%; p=0.038, pc=ns), as well as a decrease in the frequency of HLA-DRB1*08 (1.32% vs. 6.67%; p=0.044; pc=ns) was observed. Also, when HLA-DRB1 patients frequencies were compared to the general population, a significant association was observed between HLA-DRB1*04 alleles and the presence of Q fever infection (26.68% vs. 12.41%; pc=0.014). In conclusion, HLA-DRB1*04 allele might be associated with an increase in susceptibility to the development of Q fever in our area.