Association of human leukocyte antigens‐DQB2/DPA1/DPB1 polymorphism and pulmonary tuberculosis in the Chinese Uygur population

BACKGROUND: Tuberculosis (TB) is the second‐leading cause of death globally. Genetic polymorphisms in human leukocyte antigens (HLA)‐DQB2, HLA‐DPA1, and HLA‐DPB1 may partly explain individual differences in TB susceptibility. METHODS: We performed a hospital‐based case–control study to assess the genetic influence of single‐nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in the HLA (HLA‐DPA, HLA‐DPB, and HLA‐DQB) on the development of TB. There were 248 TB‐infected cases and 340 healthy controls in this study. RESULTS: The HLA‐DQB2 rs7453920 genotype GG was applied as the reference group, the GA genotype was related to a considerably magnified risk of TB (GA vs. GG: adjusted OR = 1.547, 95% CI = 1.039–2.304, p = 0.032). Nevertheless, the other two SNPs were not associated with TB risk. Stratified analyses suggested that tobacco was associated with an increased risk of TB in HLA‐DQB2 rs7453920 G>A. CONCLUSION: These results suggested that the functional HLA‐DQB2 rs7453920 G>A polymorphism may contribute to the genetic susceptibility to TB. Nevertheless, the results were based on a limited sample size, and larger well‐designed studies are expected to confirm these preliminary findings.