3 research outputs found
Candidate gene analysis of ocular toxoplasmosis in Brazil: evidence for a role for toll-like receptor 9 (TLR9)
Candidate gene analysis of ocular toxoplasmosis in Brazil: evidence for a role for toll-like receptor 9 (TLR9)
Toxoplasma gondii infection is an important mediator of ocular
disease in Brazil more frequently than reported from elsewhere.
Infection and pathology are characterized by a strong proinflammatory
response which in mice is triggered by interaction of the parasite with
the toll-like receptor (TLR)/MyD88 pathway. A powerful way to identify
the role of TLRs in humans is to determine whether polymorphisms at
these loci influence susceptibility to T. gondii mediated pathologies.
Here we report on a small family-based study (60 families; 68 affected
offspring) undertaken in Brazil which was powered for large effect
sizes using single nucleotide polymorphisms with minor alleles
frequencies > 0.3. Of markers in TLR2, TLR5 and TLR9 that met these
criteria, we found an association Family Based Association Tests
[(FBAT) Z score = 4.232; p = 1.5 x 10-5; pcorrected = 1.2 x 10-4]
between the C allele (frequency = 0.424; odds ratio = 7; 95% confidence
interval 1.6-30.8) of rs352140 at TLR9 and toxoplasmic
retinochoroiditis in Brazil. This supports the hypothesis that direct
interaction between T. gondii and TLR9 may trigger proinflammatory
responses that lead to severe pathologies such as the ocular disease
that is associated with this infection in Brazil