Polymorphism in the promoter region of tumor necrosis factor-alpha gene isassociated with severe melioidosis

Melioidosis is an important infectious disease endemic in Southeast Asia an d the Northern territories of Australia. Septicemic melioidosis, is the lea ding cause of fatality from community acquired septicemia in northeastern p art of Thailand where death often occurs within a few days after hospitaliz ation. The present study was carried our to investigate the polymorphisms o f the position -308 promoter region of the TNF-alpha gene, as well as of th e intron 1 of the TNF-beta gene in patients with melioidosis compared with normal uninfected controls in the same endemic area. The gene frequency of TNF2 allele was significantly higher in melioidosis patients compared with control subjects (p = 0.0097, relative risk 2.32). The increase in TNF alle le in melioidosis patients was found in both heterozygous and homozygous fo rms. In addition, the increase in TNF2 allele was most apparent in-patients who had fatal outcome from septicemic melioidosis (p = 0.017), but was als o observed with lesser degree in other groups of melioidosis patients. Howe ver, no difference in the frequency of TNF-beta polymorphism the melioidosi s patients was observed. (C) American Society for Histocompatibility and Im munogenetics, 1999. Published by Elsevier Science Inc.