TY - JOUR
T1 - Two Novel Human Leukocyte Antigen Alleles Are Associated with Decreased Risk of Onychomycosis in a Large Cohort of Danish Blood Donors
AU - Lindsø Andersen, Pernille
AU - Jemec, Gregor Borut Ernst
AU - Erikstrup, Christian
AU - Didriksen, Maria
AU - Dinh, Khoa Manh
AU - Mikkelsen, Susan
AU - Bruun, Mie Topholm
AU - Hjalgrim, Henrik
AU - Hansen, Thomas Folkmann
AU - Sækmose, Susanne Gjørup
AU - Ostrowski, Sisse Rye
AU - Pedersen, Ole Birger
AU - Saunte, Ditte Marie
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
© 2023 The Author(s). Published by S. Karger AG, Basel.
PY - 2023
Y1 - 2023
N2 - Introduction: Antigen presentation and antimicrobial immune responses involve the human leukocyte antigen (HLA) system. Onychomycosis is primarily caused by dermatophytes and affects around 5.5% of the population worldwide. Yet, only limited data exist on the associations between the HLA system and onychomycosis. Thus, the objective of the study was to investigate if there is an association between HLA alleles and onychomycosis. Methods: Participants in the Danish Blood Donor Study were defined as cases of onychomycosis and controls based on antifungal prescriptions in the national prescription registry. Associations were investigated using logistic regressions adjusted for confounders and were Bonferroni corrected for multiple tests. Results: A total of 3,665 participants were considered onychomycosis cases, and 24,144 participants were considered controls. We found two protective HLA alleles of onychomycosis: DQB1∗06:04, odds ratios (OR) 0.80 (95% confidence interval (CI) 0.71-0.90), and DRB1∗13:02, OR 0.79 (95% CI: 0.71-0.89). Conclusion: The finding of two novel protective alleles of onychomycosis indicates that certain HLA alleles have certain antigen presentation properties affecting the risk of fungal infection. These findings may provide the basis for future research identifying immunologically relevant antigens of fungi causing onychomycosis, which could ultimately lead to targets of new drugs with antifungal effects.
AB - Introduction: Antigen presentation and antimicrobial immune responses involve the human leukocyte antigen (HLA) system. Onychomycosis is primarily caused by dermatophytes and affects around 5.5% of the population worldwide. Yet, only limited data exist on the associations between the HLA system and onychomycosis. Thus, the objective of the study was to investigate if there is an association between HLA alleles and onychomycosis. Methods: Participants in the Danish Blood Donor Study were defined as cases of onychomycosis and controls based on antifungal prescriptions in the national prescription registry. Associations were investigated using logistic regressions adjusted for confounders and were Bonferroni corrected for multiple tests. Results: A total of 3,665 participants were considered onychomycosis cases, and 24,144 participants were considered controls. We found two protective HLA alleles of onychomycosis: DQB1∗06:04, odds ratios (OR) 0.80 (95% confidence interval (CI) 0.71-0.90), and DRB1∗13:02, OR 0.79 (95% CI: 0.71-0.89). Conclusion: The finding of two novel protective alleles of onychomycosis indicates that certain HLA alleles have certain antigen presentation properties affecting the risk of fungal infection. These findings may provide the basis for future research identifying immunologically relevant antigens of fungi causing onychomycosis, which could ultimately lead to targets of new drugs with antifungal effects.
KW - Blood donors
KW - Dermatophyte
KW - Major histocompatibility complex
KW - Nail fungus
KW - Onychomycosis
KW - Tinea
U2 - 10.1159/000529092
DO - 10.1159/000529092
M3 - Journal article
C2 - 37325286
AN - SCOPUS:85149249467
VL - 9
SP - 195
EP - 202
JO - Skin Appendage Disorders
JF - Skin Appendage Disorders
SN - 2296-9195
IS - 3
ER -