Duffy-Null—Associated Low Neutrophil Counts Influence HIV-1 Susceptibility in High-Risk South African Black Women

• Published in: Clinical infectious diseases 2011-05, Vol.52 (10), p.1248-1256
• Main Authors: Ramsuran, Veron, Kulkarni, Hemant, He, Weijing, Mlisana, Koleka, Wright, Edwina J., Werner, Lise, Castiblanco, John, Dhanda, Rahul, Le, Tuan, Dolan, Matthew J., Guan, Weihua, Weiss, Robin A., Clark, Robert A., Karim, Salim S. Abdool, Ahuja, Sunil K., Ndung'u, Thumbi
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Ancestry; Biological and medical sciences; Cells; Chemokines; Cohort Studies; Duffy Blood-Group System - genetics; Female; Genetic Predisposition to Disease; Genotype & phenotype; Genotypes; HIV; HIV - genetics; HIV - immunology; HIV 1; HIV infections; HIV-1 - immunology; HIV/AIDS; Human immunodeficiency virus; Human immunodeficiency virus 1; Human viral diseases; Humans; Immunodeficiencies; Immunodeficiencies. Immunoglobulinopathies; Immunopathology; Infections; Infectious diseases; Malaria; Medical sciences; Molecular Sequence Data; Neutropenia - immunology; Neutrophils; Parasitic protozoa; Phenotypic traits; Plasmodium vivax; Platelets; Polymorphism; Polymorphism, Genetic; Promoter Regions, Genetic; Prospective Studies; Receptors, Cell Surface - genetics; Risk factors; Sequence Analysis, DNA; South Africa; Viral diseases; Viral diseases of the lymphoid tissue and the blood. Aids; Women
• ISSN: 1058-4838; 1537-6591; 1537-6591
• DOI: 10.1093/cid/cir119

Background. The Duffy-null trait and ethnic netropenia are both highly prevalent in Africa. The influence of pre-seroconversion levels of peripheral blood cell counts (PBCs) on the risk of acquiring human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-1 infection among Africans is unknown. Methods. The triangular relationship among pre-seroconversion PBC counts, host genotypes, and risk of HIV acquisition was determined in a prospective cohort of black South African high-risk female sex workers. Twenty-seven women had seroconversion during follow-up, and 115 remained HIV negative for 2 years, despite engaging in high-risk activity. Results. Preseroconversion neutrophil counts in women who subsequently had seroconversion were significantly lower, whereas platelet counts were higher, compared with those who remained HIV negative. Comprising 27% of the cohort, subjects with preseroconversion neutrophil counts of C) was significantly associated with neutrophil counts (P = 7.9 × 10⁻¹¹). DARC −46C/C results in loss of DARC expression on erthyrocytes (Duffy-null) and resistance to Plasmodium vivax malaria, and in our cohort, only subjects with this genotype had pre-seroconversion neutrophil counts of