Human leukocyte antigen HLA-B*57:01 status in HIV-1 patients developing hypersensitivity reactions in Benin: a pilot study

Antiretroviral drugs in people living with HIV-1 (PLHIV-1) often trigger side effects which may lead to discontinuation or failure of treatment. Human Leukocyte Antigen B*57:01 (HLA-B*57:01) allele is known to predict hypersensitivity reactions to Abacavir. Very few data are available on the prevalence of HLA-B*57:01 allele in PLHIV-1 in African countries. This study aimed to screen for HLA-B*57:01 allele in PLHIV-1 in Benin.

This pilot study was carried out on one hundred ten PLHIV-1 enrolled in two health facilities in Benin. Socio-demographic and clinical data were collected. Biological data were determined and HLA-B*57:01 allele was genotyped, using Single Specific Primer-Polymerase Chain Reaction in blood samples.

70% of participants were female. PLHIV-1 were under TDF + 3TC + DTG (47.2%) or TDF + 3TC + EFV (57.3%). Their median age was 41 [36-48.75] years and the average CD4 + T cell count was 249 [130-381.25] cells/µl. The average viral load in treatment failure PLHIV-1 was 4.7 [3.9–5.2] Log10. At the inclusion date, twenty-nine (26.4%) PLHIV-1 under TDF + 3TC + EFV have developed hypersensitivity reactions. None of 110 patients had shown HLA-B*5701 allele.

Our study revealed that HLA-B*57:01 allele was very rare in PLHIV-1 in Benin, suggesting that its screening before starting the Abacavir regimen did not seem necessary.