RESUMO
Objective To determine the genetic polymorphisms of DC-SIGN and DC-SIGNR among HIV negative Chinese female sex workers. Methods The 69 bp tandem repeat numbers in exon 4 of the DC-SIGN and DC-SIGNR were examined by PCR in 234 HIV-1-seronegative female commercial sex workers. Results It was found that 4 of 234 individuals were heterozygous in DC-SIGN. For DC-SIGNR, the allele frequencies were seven times repeated in 65.2%, 5 in 18.4%, and 9 in 11.9%. Those patterns of alleles frequencies were significantly different compared with those reported in the Caucasians residing in Europe. Conclusion Polymorphisms of DC-SIGN repeat region seem to be infrequent in Chinese female sex workers and those of DC-SIGNR are different from what reported in other races.