Background: Development of tuberculosis (TB) disease is an outcome of complex host-pathogen interactions. The purinergic P2X(7) receptors are adenosine triphosphate gated molecules shown to induce killing of intracellular Mycobacterium tuberculosis, followed by apoptosis of the infected macrophage. A single nucleotide polymorphism in exon 13 of the P2X(7) receptors gene at +1513 position has been shown to abolish the function of this receptor and to be associated with increased susceptibility to TB in some ethnic groups.
Objective: To explore the association of +1513 (A-->C) polymorphism in TB patients in Punjab, North India.
Design: A case-control study was conducted by studying peripheral blood samples from 204 TB patients (181 pulmonary, 23 extra-pulmonary) and 177 controls with no history of TB. P2X(7) +1513 (A-->C) polymorphism was studied using amplification refractory mutation system analysis.
Result: The distribution of +1513 A/C genotypes in the TB patient and the control groups revealed a statistically significant association with TB (P = 0.002).
Conclusion: The +1513C allele is a risk factor for the development of TB in the North Indian Punjabi population.