We investigated the presence of a single nucleotide polymorphism designated rs12979860 in the interferon-lambda-4 (IFNlambda4) gene among 345 people who inject drugs (PWID) and 495 blood donors to evaluate associations between the rs12979860 genotypes and HIV/HCV. The rs12979860 TT genotype was overrepresented among HIV+ PWID than HIV- PWID and blood donors (16% vs. 8% and 10%, p=0.03, respectively). PWID with TT genotype had approximately twice the probability of being HIV+ (OR=2.19, 95% CI=1.11-4.33) than PWID without TT. Every additional year of intravenous drug use (IVDU) decreased the odds ratio 1.16 times (OR=0.86, 95% CI=0.75-0.98). This suggests that rs12979860 TT increases susceptibility to HIV and this impact decreases with increasing duration of IVDU.
Association of IFNlambda4 rs12979860 polymorphism with the acquisition of HCV and HIV infections among people who inject drugs
Journal of Medical Virology, 90 (11), 1779-1783. doi: 10.1002/jmv.25258. PMCID: PMC6158102.