The association of ABO blood types with host susceptibility to haemorrhagic fever with renal syndrome

Since the discovery of ABO blood types, there has been mounting evidence of the association between blood types and infectious diseases. However, so far, there is rarely available research about the potential role of ABO blood types in haemorrhagic fever with renal syndrome (HFRS) infection. Our aim was to investigate the relationship between ABO blood types and the development of HFRS infection in Qingdao, China. We carried out a retrospective study enrolling 116 HFRS patients as the case group and 373 healthy subjects as the control group. ABO blood type distribution was analysed using the Chi-square test and logistic regression analysis. Results showed that the distribution of ABO blood types between the two groups was significantly different (X(2) = 18.151, P < 0.05). Blood type B was less frequently observed [odds ratio (OR), 0.404; confidence interval (CI), 0.238–0.684; P < 0.01], while blood type AB was more frequently observed in the case group (OR, 2.548; CI, 1.427–4.549; P < 0.01). Since significantly more males were affected than females, we further analysed the data by gender as well as blood types and obtained consistent results for males. Our findings indicated that populations with blood type AB might be more prone to HFRS infection, whereas those with blood type B might be less susceptible to HFRS infection, which will help to make risk stratification in infection control.