title: Immunoglobulin kappa chain allotypes (KM) in onchocerciasis.
abstract: GM and KM allotypes, powerful tools for genetic characterization of human populations, have been shown to play an important role in genetic predisposition to some infectious diseases. Two diverse racial groups--Afro-Ecuadorians and Amerindians--living in a single restricted geographical area of Ecuador, appear to have different risk factors for acquisition and clinical expression of onchocerciasis, a disease caused by the filarial parasite Onchocerca volvulus. In this study, GM and KM allotypes were determined in 25 Afro-Ecuadorians and 24 Amerindians infected with Onchocerca volvulus (INF) and in putative immune individuals (PI). In Afro-Ecuadorians, the frequency of the homozygous KM 3 phenotype was significantly decreased in INF as compared with the PI group (20 vs. 68%; P= 0.0012), while the frequency of the heterozygous KM 1,3 phenotype was increased in INF as compared with the PI subjects (48 vs. 9%; P= 0.0044). These results suggest that in Afro-Ecuadorians KM 3 is associated with a lower relative risk (resistance), whereas KM 1,3 is associated with an increased risk (susceptibility) of onchocerciasis.
authors.affiliation: Department of Microbiology, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston 29425, USA.
authors.forename: J P
authors.initials: JP
authors.lastname: Pandey
authors.forename: L H
authors.initials: LH
authors.lastname: Elson
authors.forename: S E
authors.initials: SE
authors.lastname: Sutherland
authors.forename: R H
authors.initials: RH
authors.lastname: Guderian
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Araujo
authors.forename: T B
authors.initials: TB
authors.lastname: Nutman
mesh_terms: D000349:Africa / Q000208:ethnology; D000818:Animals; D000909:Antibodies, Helminth / Q000097:blood*; D004484:Ecuador; D006580:Genetic Carrier Screening; D006801:Humans; D007113:Immunity, Innate; D007126:Immunoglobulin Allotypes / Q000097:blood*; D007145:Immunoglobulin kappa-Chains / Q000097:blood*; D007199:Indians, South American; D009854:Onchocerca; D009855:Onchocerciasis / Q000097:blood / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000276:immunology*; D010641:Phenotype; D044469:Racial Groups; D012307:Risk Factors
chemical_list: D000909:Antibodies, Helminth; D007126:Immunoglobulin Allotypes; D007145:Immunoglobulin kappa-Chains