CTLA-4 -49A/G Gene Expression In Patients With Visceral Lishmaniosis

Background&:The diseases caused by Leishmania parasites range from coetaneous leishmaniasis (CL) characterized by self-resolving local coetaneous lesions to the more serious visceral leishmaniasis (VL), which is potentially fatal.VL results from infection with Leishmania donovani or Leishmania infantum, and is usually fatal if left untreated following clinical diagnosis. Key proinflammatory (Th1) cytokines required are IL- 12, IFNγ, and TNF, lymphotoxin (LT), for efficient immune responses against lishmanie infection through Th1 and macrophage activation. Aims: Cytolytic T lymphocyte antigen -4 (CTLA-4) is an inhibitory receptor expressed by activated and regulatory T cells. The single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) - 49 A/G of the CTLA-4 gene alters intracellular distribution of CTLA-4, interleukin-2 production, and, as a consequence, T-cell proliferation. The aim of this study was to analyze the only coding SNP CTLA-4 -49 A/G polymorphism in patients with viseral lishmaniosis.