ANDV, agent of hantavirus cardiopulmonary syndrome, enters through integrin cell protein. A change from leucine-to-proline at residues 33 in the PSI-domain (L33P) inhibits ANDV recognition. We assessed the association between this human-variant and ANDV infection. Results We defined susceptible genotype to "TT" (coding leucine) and protective "CC" (coding proline). TT was in 89.2% (66/74) of a first cohort of ANDV-cases and in 60% (63/105) of exposed close-household contacts who remained

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... ed (p<0.05). Protective genotype was absent in all 85 ANDV cases in both cohorts and was present at 11.4% in exposed close-household contacts who remained uninfected. Logistic regression modeling to become a case had an OR 6.2-12.6 (p<0.05) in presence of TT and ANDV well-known risk activities. Moreover, OR of 7.3 was obtained when TT condition was analyzed for two groups exposed to the same environmental risk. Conclusion Host genetic background has an important role in ANDV-infection susceptibility in the studied population.