einstein (São Paulo). 17/Dec/2025;24:eAO1543.
Association of the rs2814778 variant in the ACKR1 gene, responsible for the Duffy erythrocyte antigen “null” phenotype, with COVID-19 severity in Southern Brazil
DOI: 10.31744/einstein_journal/2026AO1543
Highlights
■ The rs2814778 C allele is linked to severe/critical COVID-19.
■ The association is independent of major clinical risk factors.
■ The Duffy “null” phenotype may promote lung inflammation.
■ rs12075 and rs4073 showed no association with COVID-19 severity.
ABSTRACT
Objective:
This study aimed to analyze the possible association between rs2814778, rs12075 (ACKR1 gene), and rs4073 (CXCL8 gene) single nucleotide variants and COVID-19 severity.
Methods:
This cross-sectional study included 319 COVID-19 diagnosed patients at two hospitals in Paraná, Brazil between 2020 and 2021. Among them, 171 cases were classified as severeor critical and 148 were classified as non-severe. Genotyping was performed using polymerase chain reaction.
Results:
We found an association between the rs2814778 variant of the ACKR1 gene and COVID-19 severity. The C allele in both the T/C and C/C genotypes was identified as a risk factor for severe COVID-19, independent of sex, age, smoking status, cardiovascular disease, diabetes, or obesity. No evidence of an association was observed for the other variants.
Conclusion:
The presence of the C allele in the rs2814778 variant indicated an increased risk of severe or critical COVID-19 in the southern Brazilian population across all possible genotypes and genetic inheritance models.
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