Association of HLA-DRB1*11 and HLA-DRB1*12 gene polymorphism with COVID-19 in Burkina Faso

Alfred Rakissida Ouedraogo; Lassina Traoré; Abdoul Karim Ouattara; Alexis Rakiswende Ouedraogo; Sidnooma Véronique Zongo; Mousso Savadogo; Tatiana Doriane Lallogo; Herman Karim Sombie; Pegdwendé Abel Sorgho; Teega-Wendé Clarisse Ouedraogo; Florencia Wendkuuni Djigma; Assita Sanou Lamien; Albert Théophane Yonli; Olga Mélanie Lompo; Jacques Simporé

doi:10.1186/s12920-023-01684-8

Association of HLA-DRB111 and HLA-DRB112 gene polymorphism with COVID-19 in Burkina Faso

BMC Med Genomics. 2023 Oct 16;16(1):246. doi: 10.1186/s12920-023-01684-8.

Authors

Alfred Rakissida Ouedraogo¹, Lassina Traoré^{2

3}, Abdoul Karim Ouattara^{2

3}, Alexis Rakiswende Ouedraogo¹, Sidnooma Véronique Zongo², Mousso Savadogo², Tatiana Doriane Lallogo², Herman Karim Sombie⁴, Pegdwendé Abel Sorgho^{2

4}, Teega-Wendé Clarisse Ouedraogo², Florencia Wendkuuni Djigma⁵, Assita Sanou Lamien¹, Albert Théophane Yonli⁴, Olga Mélanie Lompo¹, Jacques Simporé^{2

4}

Affiliations

¹ Laboratoire de Morphologie et Organogénèse (LAMO), Université Joseph KI-ZERBO, UFR/SDS, Ouagadougou 01, 01 BP 7021, Burkina Faso.
² Université Joseph KI-ZERBO, Laboratoire de Biologie Moléculaire et de Génétique (LABIOGENE), UFR/SVT, Ouagadougou 01, 01 BP 7021, Burkina Faso.
³ Université Norbert ZONGO - Centre Universitaire de Manga, BP 376, Koudougou, Burkina Faso.
⁴ Centre de Recherche Biomoléculaire Pietro Annigoni (CERBA), P.O. Box 364, Ouagadougou 01, Burkina Faso.
⁵ Université Joseph KI-ZERBO, Laboratoire de Biologie Moléculaire et de Génétique (LABIOGENE), UFR/SVT, Ouagadougou 01, 01 BP 7021, Burkina Faso. florenciadjigma@gmail.com.

Abstract

Background: The clinical manifestations of coronavirus disease (COVID-19) can vary widely, ranging from asymptomatic to severe, and may be influenced by the host genetic background. The aim of the present study was to determine the frequencies of HLA-DRB1*11 and HLA-DRB1*12 allele polymorphisms and their associations with COVID-19.

Methods: In this cross-sectional study, 198 subjects were enrolled, including 150 COVID-19 positive cases and 48 subjects who tested negative for COVID-19. Participants were recruited from the emergency, intensive care, and infectious diseases departments of the Bogodogo Centre University Hospital (CHU-B) or the routine laboratory of Centre de Recherche Biomoléculaire Pietro Annigoni (CERBA). Genomic DNA was extracted from nasopharyngeal swabs samples and multiplex PCR-SSP was used to detect the HLA-DRB1*11 and HLA-DRB1*12 alleles. The study was approved by CERS (№ 2021-02-033).

Results: The positive cases were categorized into 38 asymptomatic (CC+), 60 symptomatic (NC+), and 52 severe cases (SC+). Females were more frequent in the overall study population (53.0%, 105/198) as well as in the negative group's CC- (68.75%, 33/48) and SC+ (57.69%, 30/52 negative groups, whereas males were more frequent in the CC+ (63.16%, 24/38) and NC+ (53.33%, 32/60) groups. The highest mean age was observed in the SC + group. A frequency of 19.19% (38/198) and 14.65% (29/198) was found for the HLA-DRB1*11 and HLA-DRB1*12 alleles, respectively. Individuals carrying the HLA-DRB1*11 allele had an approximately sixfold higher risk of asymptomatic SARS-CoV-2 infection (OR = 5.72 [1.683-19.442], p = 0.005) based on the association analysis.

Conclusions: Altogether, the present study reports high frequency of HLA-DRB1*11 and HLA-DRB1*12 alleles within a population from Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso. The results suggest that individuals carrying the HLA-DRB1*11 allele are more susceptible to COVID-19 infection but may not display symptoms.

Keywords: Burkina Faso; Genotypes; HLA-DRB1*11; HLA-DRB1*12; Severe COVID-19.

Publication types

Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

Alleles
Burkina Faso
COVID-19* / genetics
Cross-Sectional Studies
Female
Gene Frequency
Genetic Predisposition to Disease
HLA-DRB1 Chains / genetics
Humans
Male
Polymorphism, Genetic
SARS-CoV-2 / genetics

Substances

HLA-DRB1 Chains