title: IL4-589C/T polymorphism and IgE levels in severe malaria.
abstract: Previous studies identified an allelic variant of the IL4 promoter region (IL4-589T) that appears to enhance the transcriptional activity of IL4, and is associated with increased IgE levels. Total serum IgE levels are elevated in malaria endemic regions, and higher in children with severe malaria. Here, we investigated the relationship of the IL4-589C/T polymorphism with severity of the disease in a case-control study of severe malaria in Burkina Faso, West Africa. No association between the IL4-589T and severe malaria was observed. No difference in Plasmodium falciparum-specific IgE was detected between severe and uncomplicated malaria patients. Among children with severe malaria, total IgE levels were significantly elevated in those carrying the IL4-589T allele (P = 0.018). In children with uncomplicated malaria, no significant difference was found. These results raise the possibility that there is a relationship between susceptibility to severe malaria, IgE production and genetic variation in the IL4 region, which merits further investigation in other epidemiological settings.
authors.affiliation: Dipartimento di Scienze di Sanità Pubblica, Sezione di Parassitologia, WHO Collaborating Centre for Malaria Epidemiology and Control, Rome, Italy. federica.verra@uniromal.it
authors.forename: Federica
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Verra
authors.forename: Gaia
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Luoni
authors.forename: Carlo
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Calissano
authors.forename: Marita
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Troye-Blomberg
authors.forename: Peter
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Perlmann
authors.forename: Hedvig
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Perlmann
authors.forename: Bruno
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Arcà
authors.forename: Bienvenu Sodiomon
authors.initials: BS
authors.lastname: Sirima
authors.forename: Amadou
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Konaté
authors.forename: Mario
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Coluzzi
authors.forename: Dominic
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Kwiatkowski
authors.forename: David
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Modiano
mesh_terms: D002050:Burkina Faso; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D014644:Genetic Variation / Q000235:genetics; D006801:Humans; D007073:Immunoglobulin E / Q000097:blood*; D007223:Infant; D015847:Interleukin-4 / Q000235:genetics*; D008288:Malaria / Q000097:blood / Q000235:genetics*; D011110:Polymorphism, Genetic / Q000235:genetics
chemical_list: D015847:Interleukin-4; D007073:Immunoglobulin E