HLA class II locus and susceptibility to podoconiosis.

ABSTRACT:

Background

Podoconiosis is a tropical lymphedema resulting from long-term barefoot exposure to red-clay soil derived from volcanic rock. The World Health Organization recently designated it as a neglected tropical disease. Podoconiosis develops in only a subgroup of exposed people, and studies have shown familial clustering with high heritability (63%).

Methods

We conducted a genomewide association study of 194 case patients and 203 controls from southern Ethiopia. Findings were validated by means of family-based association testing in 202 family trios and HLA typing in 94 case patients and 94 controls.

Results

We found a genomewide significant association of podoconiosis with the single-nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) rs17612858, located 5.8 kb from the HLA-DQA1 locus

SUBMITTER: Tekola Ayele F 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC3350841 | biostudies-literature | 2012 Mar

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature