HLA‐linked Control of Susceptibility to Tuberculoid Leprosy and Association with HLA–DR types*

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Abstract
In an attempt to confirm an HLA–linked effect on the course of Mycobacterium leprae infection observed in families from Surinam (South America), we conducted a similar family study in an endemic area in India. We observed a significant (P < .05) excess of identical HLA–GLO haplotypes only from healthy parents among siblings affected with tuberculoid leprosy. Compared with healthy controls, unrelated patients with tuberculoid leprosy (n = 15) showed a significant heterogeneity at the HLA–DR locus (P < .05). This heterogeneity was caused by an increased frequency of HLA–DRw2 (.93 versus .53, P < .05), particularly of DRw2 homozygotes (.53 versus .11, P < .005), and a decreased frequency of HLA–DRw6 (.07 versus .58, P < .005). We observed a significant (P = .03) preferential segregation of DRw2 from DRw2 heterozygous parents not affected with tuberculoid leprosy to children with the tuberculoid type of the disease. These data confirm an HLA–linked control of susceptibility to tuberculoid leprosy only, and suggest a recessive inheritance of this trait for which HLA–DRw2 appears to be a genetic marker.