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Genetic control of visceral leishmaniasis in a Sudanese population: candidate gene testing indicates a linkage to the NRAMP1 region

Genes & Immunity volume 4, pages 104–109 (2003)Cite this article

Abstract

There is some evidence showing that genetic factors are involved in human susceptibility to parasitic diseases such as schistosomiasis and malaria. Studies have shown that the Nramp1 and H-2 genes are implicated in the control of Leishmania donovani infection in mice. We sought genetic loci involved in the control of susceptibility to visceral disease caused by L. donovani in humans. We studied 37 families with at least two affected sibs living in a village in eastern Sudan, where an outbreak of visceral leishmaniasis occurred between 1995 and 2000. The genetic markers located in five chromosomal regions containing candidate genes were typed: 2q35 (NRAMP1), 5q31–q33 (Th2 cytokine cluster), 6p21 (HLA/TNF-α), 6q23 (INFGRI) and 12q15 (INF-γ). Linkage (multipoint lod-score=1.08; P=0.01) was observed for the 5′(CA) repeat polymorphism in the NRAMP1 promoter. This suggests that genetic variations of this gene affect susceptibility to visceral leishmaniasis in this population.

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Acknowledgements

We thank all the inhabitants of Barbar El Fugara who took part in the surveys and participated actively in the collection of data. We are also grateful to the State Minister of Health (Gedarif State) and Dr Majak at Guraisha Hospital who made the patients' hospital records available and treated the patients in between surveys.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Génétique et Immunologie des Maladies Parasitaires, INSERM U399, Laboratoire de Parasitologie et Mycologie, Faculté de Médecine de La Timone, Marseille, France

    B Bucheton, C Chevillard & A Dessein

  2. Génétique Humaine des Maladies Infectieuses, INSERM U550, Faculté de Médecine de Necker, Paris, France

    L Abel

  3. Department of Microbiology and Parasitology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Khartoum, Khartoum, Sudan

    M M Kheir & S H El-Safi

  4. University of Gezira, Wad Medani, Sudan

    A Mirgani

Authors
  1. B Bucheton
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  2. L Abel
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  3. M M Kheir
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  4. A Mirgani
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  5. S H El-Safi
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  6. C Chevillard
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  7. A Dessein
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Correspondence to A Dessein.

Additional information

This work was supported by a Grant IC 18 CT 98 0373 (European Commission) and the French Research Ministry Programme PRFMMIP/Microbiology. Bruno Bucheton received a Fellowship from the Fondation pour La Recherche Médicale (FRM).

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Bucheton, B., Abel, L., Kheir, M. et al. Genetic control of visceral leishmaniasis in a Sudanese population: candidate gene testing indicates a linkage to the NRAMP1 region. Genes Immun 4, 104–109 (2003). https://doi.org/10.1038/sj.gene.6363927

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