5' dinucleotide repeat polymorphism of NRAMP1 and susceptibility to tuberculosis among Caucasian patients in Houston, Texas.
METHODS
Houston Tuberculosis Initiative (HTI) and Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Texas.


OBJECTIVE
To further explore the association between the polymorphisms of NRAMP1 and human susceptibility/resistance to tuberculosis (TB), specifically to determine whether the reported association shown for blacks and Asians holds true for Caucasian populations.


METHODS
In a case-control study, 135 adult Caucasian TB patients and 108 adult Caucasian HIV-seronegative non-TB controls were analyzed for the association between the polymorphisms in NRAMP1 gene and clinical TB.


RESULTS
Heterozygote at 5'(GT)n, a dinucleotide repeat polymorphism in the promoter of NRAMP1, was observed at significantly higher frequencies among HIV-negative patients with pulmonary TB (41.6%; OR 2.02; 95%CI 1.11-3.64), extra-pulmonary TB (66.7%; OR 4.80; 95%CI 1.34-17.15), and HIV-seropositive TB patients (50%; OR 3.77; 95%CI 1.33-10.66) in comparison with the controls (27.8%). Homozygotes (GT)(10,10) were over-represented among HIV-positive TB patients (18.2%; OR 6.86; 95%CI 1.55-30.21) compared to the controls (5.5%).


CONCLUSIONS
These findings suggest that the 5'(GT)n polymorphism of NRAMP1 modifies TB susceptibility in this Caucasian population, and could possibly be related to the site of infection among HIV-negative individuals and HIV-coinfected TB.
Ma
X
X
Department of Pathology, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Texas 77030, USA.
Dou
S
S
Wright
J A
JA
Reich
R A
RA
Teeter
L D
LD
El Sahly
H M
HM
Awe
R J
RJ
Musser
J M
JM
Graviss
E A
EA
D000328:Adult; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D027682:Cation Transport Proteins / Q000235:genetics*; D018900:Dinucleotide Repeats / Q000235:genetics; D005260:Female; D020022:Genetic Predisposition to Disease / Q000235:genetics; D015658:HIV Infections / Q000150:complications; D006801:Humans; D007113:Immunity, Innate / Q000235:genetics; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011110:Polymorphism, Genetic / Q000235:genetics*; D013781:Texas; D014376:Tuberculosis / Q000150:complications / Q000235:genetics*; D044465:White People / Q000235:genetics*; D000099173:Natural Resistance-associated Macrophage Protein 1
D027682:Cation Transport Proteins; D000099173:Natural Resistance-associated Macrophage Protein 1