HLA-B27 and ankylosing spondylitis geographic distribution versus malaria endemic: casual or causal liaison?

• Published in: Annals of the rheumatic diseases Vol. 67; no. 1; pp. 138 - 140
• Main Authors: Mathieu, A, Cauli, A, Fiorillo, M T, Sorrentino, R
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: London BMJ Publishing Group Ltd and European League Against Rheumatism 01.01.2008; BMJ; BMJ Publishing Group LTD
• Subjects: Biological and medical sciences; Diseases of the osteoarticular system; Diseases of the spine; Endemic Diseases; Genetic Predisposition to Disease; Haplotypes; HLA-B27 Antigen; Human protozoal diseases; Humans; Hypotheses; Infectious diseases; Inflammatory joint diseases; Malaria; Malaria - epidemiology; Medical sciences; Parasitic diseases; Protozoal diseases; Spondylitis, Ankylosing - epidemiology; Spondylitis, Ankylosing - immunology; Topography, Medical; New Guinea; West Africa; HLA-System; Protozoal disease; Malaria; Diseases of the osteoarticular system; Inflammatory joint disease; Parasitosis; Spine disease; Epidemiology; Infection; Spondylarthropathy; Chronic; Geographic distribution; Comparative study; Ankylosing spondylitis
• ISSN: 0003-4967; 1468-2060
• DOI: 10.1136/ard.2007.072488

[...]support to this hypothesis comes from western India, an area of low and seasonal transmission of Plasmodium falciparum, which is more likely to infect HLA-B27 positive individuals. 5 The selective pressure by malaria in some geographical areas has left behind gene variants that may eventually contribute to the spread of new infectious diseases or to susceptibility to common diseases. 6 This may be the case for some HLA-B alleles such as B*53 or B*35, conferring resistance to malaria and susceptibility to AIDS, respectively.