Table 1.
Inflammatory conditions associated with HLA-DRB1*15.
| Condition associated with HLA-DRB1*15 | Fungal etiology | Antibodies against fungi | Other links with fungi |
|---|---|---|---|
| Allergic bronchopulmonary aspergillosis (30) | Confirmed | Aspergillus (39) | Caused by abnormal immune response against Aspergillus |
| Pulmonary sarcoidosis (40) | Suspected | Mannan and beta-glucan (24) | Fungicidal drug itraconazole effective (41) |
| Granulomatous prostatitis (42) | Suspected | Not tested | Chronic fungal infection suspected in the prostate (35, 36) |
| Uveitis (43) | Suspected | Mannan (21) | Associated with CD4+ T cell recognition of Candida albicans antigens (44). Mannan causes uveitis in animal model (45). Associated with chronic prostate inflammation (46, 47) |
| Multiple sclerosis (7) | Proposed here | Candida (27–29) | Dimethyl fumarate is effective (48), and has antifungal properties (49) |
| Systemic lupus erythematosus (50) | Not suspected | Mannan (22, 23) | |
| Goodpasture’s disease (51) | Not suspected | Not tested | |
Antibodies against mannan target mannose polymers covalently bound to fungal cell wall proteins (see mannoproteins in Figure 1); mannan is a minor component of mycobacteria cell walls, but is absent from other types of bacteria. Antibodies against beta-glucan target the cell wall of fungi (Figure 1); beta-glucan is also present in the cell wall of some types of bacteria.