HLA-B and tropical spastic paraparesis: In the Kagoshima population, an association between HLA-B*5401, HLA-A*02 and HLA-Cw*08 and the outcome of HTLV-I infection has been reported, where HLA-A*02and HLA-Cw*08 genes were each independently associated with a lower HTLV-I provirus load and with protection from HAM/TSP, whereas HLA-B*5401 was associated with an increased susceptibility to HAM/TSP (10).