Migration and descent, adaptations to altitude and tuberculosis in Nepalis and Tibetans.

ABSTRACT:

Background

High rates of tuberculosis (TB) in migrants from Tibet and Nepal have been documented for over 120 years and were previously ascribed to poor living conditions in the places of settlement. Adaptations to altitude involving genes in the Hypoxia-Inducible Factor pathway are present in 90-95% of Tibetans and in Nepalis these allele frequencies increase by 17% with each 1000 m increase in altitude.

Methods

We calculated the incidence of TB by country of origin in immigrants from South and East Asia in New South Wales (NSW), Australia between 2004 and 2018, and compared disease severity, site of infection, evidence of local transmission and prevalence of latent TB, among these groups.

Results

The incidence of active TB was consistently higher among 30 000 Nepale

SUBMITTER: Corbett S 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC9071402 | biostudies-literature | 2022

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature