Killer cell immunoglobulin-like receptor genes in four human West Nile virus infections reported 2011 in the Republic of Macedonia

Abstract

West Nile virus (WNV) is a neurotropic, arthropod-borne flavivirus that is maintained in an enzootic cycle between mosquitoes and birds, but can also infect and cause disease in horses and humans. The aim of this study was to examine KIR gene polymorphisms by determining the frequencies of 16 KIR genes and pseudogenes and KIR genotypes in Macedonian patients with West Nile virus infection, and to compare with healthy Macedonians. The studied sample consists Republic of Macedonia, hospitalized at the University Clinic of Infective Diseases between September 2011 and October 2011, and reported through WHO. For KIR genotyping, commercially available PEL-FREEZ KIR genotyping SSP kit (Dynal Biotech, Brown Deer, WI) was used. The population genetics analysis package, Arlequin, was used for analysis of the data. We found that all 16 KIR genes were observed in the studied individuals and framework genes (KIR3DL3, KIR3DP1, KIR2DL4, and KIR3DL2) were present in all individuals. Comparison of KIR frequencies between Macedonian patients with West Nile virus infection and healthy Macedonian population reveals several significant differences in the inhibitory group (KIR2DL2), and in the non inhibitory group (KIR2DS1, KIR2DS2, KIR2DS5, and KIR3DS1). The single most frequent genotypes in the Bx group were genotypes ID71 and ID89 with statistically significant difference compared to healthy Macedonians. Our results suggest that specific KIR genotypes could be connected with West Nile virus infection.