Investigation of CTLA-4 +49 A/G gene polymorphism in the Leprosy patients and their effects on type and severity of disease

Background: Leprosy is still a global health problem, especially in developing countries are important, and Iran is an endemic area for leprosy in the Middle East. Leprosy is a disease caused by the intracellular bacterium Mycobacterium leprae, is a chronic infectious disease of humans that causes inflammatory lesions in the skin and peripheral nerves with the granuloma. Numerous studies, the important role of host genetics in susceptibility to leprosy are confirmed. CTLA4 gene is one of the four exons. Polymorphisms have been identified in the CTLA4 gene with susceptibility to a wide range of autoimmune and infectious diseases dependent on T cells are connected. The aim of this study was to investigate the relationship between polymorphisms of CTLA-4 +49 A / G and susceptibility to leprosy and its impact on the type and severity of disease.

Methods: In this study, 157 treated leprosy patients living in nursing homes in Tabriz Baba Baghi and 185 healthy human subjects were enrolled as controls. First blood samples (8-10 ml) of patients Gene polymorphism CTLA-4 +49 A / G were determined, and then the genotype frequencies in two groups were compared. In addition, for each patient clinical forms of the disease, the performance, age at onset, duration of illness, symptoms, age, sex and relationship between genotypes and allele polymorphism review was studied.

Results: The average age was 11.90 ± 65.87 years and the highest prevalence of leprosy at the age of 16 to 30 years old. The most common side effects of organ failure, neurological diseases, leprosy protests eye and ear, nose and throat incidence was 33%.

Conclusion: Gene CTLA-4 (+49 A / G) showed that the frequency of AA greater was than the other two types.