A common allele of HLA is associated with asymptomatic SARS-CoV-2 infection
We observed that individuals carrying this common allele (approximately 10% in individuals with European ancestry) are more than twice as likely to remain asymptomatic after SARS-CoV-2 infection compared with those who do not, and a notable effect of HLA-B*15:01 homozygosity increasing the chance of remaining asymptomatic by more than eight times.
Together, our results strongly support the hypothesis that HLA-B*15:01 mediates asymptomatic COVID-19 disease through pre-existing T cell immunity due to previous exposure to HKU1-CoV and OC43-CoV.
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