Relationship between Crohn's disease, infection with Mycobacterium avium subspecies paratuberculosis and SLC11A1 gene polymorphisms in Sardinian patients.
OBJECTIVE
To study the association between Crohn's disease (CD), Mycobacterium avium subspecies paratuberculosis (MAP), and genetic factors by examining the role of natural resistance-associated macrophage protein 1 (NRAMP1) gene polymorphisms (now SLC11A1) in Sardinian patients with CD and controls.


METHODS
Thirty-seven CD patients and 34 controls with no inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) were recruited at the University of Sassari after giving written consent. Six SCL11A1 polymorphisms previously reported to be the most significantly associated with IBD were searched. M. paratuberculosis was identified by IS900 PCR and sequencing. Logistic regression was used to calculate odds ratios (OR) for the associations among CD, presence of MAP, and 6 loci described above.


RESULTS
For the first time, a strong association was observed between polymorphisms at NRAMP1 locus 823C/T and CD. While CD was strongly associated with both NRAMP1 and MAP, NRAMP1 polymorphisms and MAP themselves were not correlated.


CONCLUSIONS
Combined with previous work on the NOD2/CARD15 gene, it is clear that the interplay of genetic, infectious, and immunologic factors in the etiology of CD is complex.
Sechi
Leonardo-A
LA
Dipartimento di Scienze Biomediche, Sezione di Microbiologia Sperimentale e Clinica, Università degli studi di Sassari, Viale S. Pietro 43/B, 07100 Sassari, Italy. sechila@uniss.it
Gazouli
Maria
M
Sieswerda
Lee-E
LE
Molicotti
Paola
P
Ahmed
Niyaz
N
Ikonomopoulos
John
J
Scanu
Antonio-M
AM
Paccagnini
Daniela
D
Zanetti
Stefania
S
D016022:Case-Control Studies; D027682:Cation Transport Proteins / Q000235:genetics*; D003424:Crohn Disease / Q000235:genetics* / Q000382:microbiology*; D006801:Humans; D007558:Italy; D009162:Mycobacterium avium; D011110:Polymorphism, Genetic; D000099173:Natural Resistance-associated Macrophage Protein 1
D027682:Cation Transport Proteins; D000099173:Natural Resistance-associated Macrophage Protein 1