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The relationship of HLA phenotype and outcome of hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection was studied in two ethnic groups of Taiwan: Han Chinese and Taiwanese Aborigines. In Han Chinese, the study groups consisted of 98 persons who tested both hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg) and anti-HBs negative (Uninfected Group), 324 persons who tested HBsAg negative and both anti-HBs and anti-HBc positive (Recovered Group), and 98 patients who tested HBsAg positive for at least 6 months (Chronically Infected Group). In Taiwanese Aborigines, the study groups consisted of 34 persons in Uninfected Group, 229 persons in the Recovered Group, and 138 patients in the Chronically Infected Group. All subjects were tested for HLA (A, B, DRB1) phenotypes by sequence-specific oligonucleotide probe hybridization (SSOPH). HLA-DR*0406 was significantly more frequent in the Recovered Group, compared with the Chronically Infected Group (P < 0.001) in Han Chinese. There was a significant excess of HLA-B*4001 (P = 0.045) in the Recovered Group, compared with the Chronically Infected Group in Taiwanese Aborigines. The observation that different HLA phenotypes associated with recovery from HBV infection in different racial groups implies that various HLA molecules could present different HBV epitopes to induce effective immune responses.

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