Increased frequency of HLA-B40 in patients with paracoccidioidomycosis.

ABSTRACT

The presence of 9 HLA-A and 14 HLA-B specificities was determined in 83 patients with paracoccidioidomycosis. The finding of a higher than normal incidence of HLA-B40 (chi 2 = 10.8; corrected P less than 0.026) supports the hypothesis that genetic factors may play a role in susceptibility to paracoccidioidomycosis. The risk of developing paracoccidioidomycosis is 4.3 times higher for individuals carrying HLA-B40 than for those lacking this antigen.