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 Original Articles |
| Investigation of Cytokine Gene Polymorphisms in Korean Patients with Scrub Typhus |
| U-Im Chang1, Su-Yeon Kim2, Seong-Heon Wie1 and Tae-gyu Kim2 |
| Departments of Internal Medicine1 and Microbiology2, College of Medicine, The Catholic University of Korea, Seoul, Korea |
Vol.42 Num.1 (p30~34)
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Background: Scrub typhus is caused by Orientia tsutsugamushi and can become severe and potentially life-threatening. It is suggested that specific host factors can modify the host response during O. tsutsugamushi infection. It is known that susceptibility and outcome of infectious disease are associated with genetic polymorphisms of some cytokines.
Materials and Methods: Peripheral blood of 144 patients who were diagnosed with scrub typhus and of 311 unrelated healthy subjects were collected. A diagnosis of scrub typhus was made upon demonstration of a fourfold rise in antibody titer to O. tsutsugamushi in paired serum specimens in an indirect immunofluorescent (IFA) test. Genomic DNAs were extracted from peripheral mononuclear cells and genotypings for IL-1 (-511C/T), IL-1β (+3953T/C), IL-2 (-330T/G), IL-4 (-590C/T), IL-4R(-1902G/A), IL-10 (-1082G/A), IL-10 (-819C/T), TNF-α (-238G/A) and TNF-α (-308G/A) were performed simultaneously using PCR-SSP (sequence specific polymorphisms) assay.
Results: The frequency of IL-1 (-511T/T) (OR=0.53, P<0.01) and IL-2 (-330T/T) (OR=0.56, P<0.01) were significantly decreased, but that of IL-2(-330G/G) (OR=4.49, P<0.01) was increased, in the scrub typhus patients compared to the healthy controls. And, there were no statistically significant differences in the genetic polymorphisms of IL-4 (-590C/T), IL-4Rα (-1902G/A), IL-10 (-1082G/A), IL-10 (-819C/T), TNF-α (-238G/A), TNF-α (-308G/A) genes, in the scrub typhus patients compared to the unrelated healthy controls.
Conclusions: Cytokine polymorphisms in the IL-1 (-511T/T) and the IL-2 genes may influence the host response to O. tsutsugamushi. |
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Keywords : Scrub typhus, Cytokine, Gene, Polymorphism |
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