HLA (human leukocyte antigen) genes play an important role in the immune system. They help the immune system to identify and respond to foreign substances, such as bacteria and viruses.
The following drugs may have serious side effects in the case of HLA-B*5701 positivity:
- Abacavir. This antiviral drug is used to treat HIV infections and AIDS.
Hypersensitivity reactions, which occur in around 50% of HLA-B*5701 carriers, can even be life-threatening.
- Flucloxacillin. This antibiotic is used to treat skin infections by gram-positive bacteria. A small proportion of HLA-B*5701 carriers (1 in 500 to 1,000) can suffer serious liver damage.
Genetic predisposition
Your individual risk of serious side effects of abacavir or flucloxacillin may be partly explained by genetic variations. It is known, for example, that mutations in the HLA-B gene may be partly responsible. To be precise, there is a mutation that leads to the HLA-B*5701 allele.
HLA-B*5701 positivity is found in around 4 to 12% of the European population. It is found in 0 to 3% of the population in China and Japan and in 10 to 30% of the Indian population.
At iGene we determine the following genotypes:
- HLA-B*5701 negative
- HLA-B*5701 positive
For this we use the marker rs2395029.