HLA-DRB1 alleles as predisposing and resisting factor in women suffering from vulvovaginal candidiasis

Abstract

Background: Vulvovaginal candidiasis (VVC) is a vaginal mucosal infection that usually affects women in their reproductive age. When the signs of VVC persist on a daily basis or last for a long time and repeat at least three times per year, the disease is considered chronic and recurrent.

Objective: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the frequency of HLA-DRB1 alleles in patients with recurrent vulvovaginal candidiasis (RVVC).

Study design: 120 patients with RVVC and 136 age-matched healthy controls underwent low-resolution HLA-DRB typing performed using the polymerase chain reaction-sequence-specific primers (PCR-SSP) technique.

Results: In the present work, we studied different genes that encode HLA-DRB (HLA-DRB1 / HLA-DRB3 / HLA-DRB4 / HLA-DRB5) and showed that HLA-DRB1×14, found in 25% of the patients. In the present study, the significant frequency of HLA-DRB1×10 in the control group suggests a resistant role of this allele to RVVC infections CONCLUSIONS: In the HLA-DRB region, the DRB1×14 allele showed a higher frequency in the patients with RVVC than in the controls. Moreover, the higher frequency of DRB1×10 observed in the controls than in the patients with RVVC. These results demonstrate the HLA-DRB1 alleles are in relation with both susceptibility and immunity factors in RVVC infection and possible susceptible role of HLA-DRB1×14.

Keywords: Candida albicans; HLA-DRB1; Recurrent vulvovaginal candidiasis.