Distribution of CCR5-∆32 and HLA-B*57:01alleles in HIV-seropositive and HIV-exposed seronegative Peruvian individuals

Little information is available about CCR5-Δ32 and HLA-B*57:01 alleles in the Peruvian population, especially in HIV-negative people with high-risk sexual behavior. In this study, we described the prevalence of these alleles in HIV-exposed seronegative individuals (PS) and HIV-seropositive individuals (PVV). For this purpose, 300 individuals were recruited: 150 from each group, and the selected alleles were characterized by endpoint PCR, real-time PCR, and DNA sequencing, respectively. According to our results, the prevalence of CCR5/CCR5-Δ32 heterozygous was 2.7%, and no homozygous cases were found. The population was in Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium for the CCR5 locus. Regarding HLA-B*57:01, only one case was found in the PS group, while no case was found from PVV group. No statistical difference was detected between both groups (p>0.05). In conclusion, we showed a low prevalence for CCR5-Δ32 as HLA-B*57:01 in Peruvian population. Since these alleles were also found indistinguishably from positives and negative Peruvian people with high-risk sexual behavior, it is possible that other genetic factor can play an important role to non-transmission of HIV in this population. Further cost-effectiveness studies are required to justify the genotyping test by using HLA-B*57:01 allele as routine test in Peru.