IL-12 RB1 Genetic Variants Contribute to Human Susceptibility to Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Infection among Chinese

Tang, Fang; Liu, Wei; Zhang, Fang; Xin, Zhong-Tao; Wei, Mao-Ti; Zhang, Pan-He; Yang, Hong; Ly, Hinh; Cao, Wu-Chun

Severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) is an infectious disease caused by the SARS coronavirus with .8000 cases and 774 deaths reported in 2003 [1] . Much progress has been made in understanding the SARS coronavirus, but its pathogenesis in infected individuals remains unclear [2] . The early reports showed that old age, diabetes mellitus and heart disease were risk factors for adverse prognosis of SARS [3, 4] . Genetic host factors are as well supposed to play an important role, and polymorphisms in several genes have been tested for their association with the infection [5] [6] [7] [8] [9] [10] [11] [12] [13] . Three studies have investigated role of angiotensin converting enzyme gene in disease pathogenesis or disease outcome with conflicting results [5] [6] [7] . Two independent studies displayed the significant role of the mannose-binding lectin (MBL) genetic polymorphisms in SARS infection [8, 9] . Other candidate genes, such as OAS1 and MxA gene [10] , interferon gamma gene [11] and RANTES gene [12] , ICAM3 gene [13] were also identified in recent studies. A better understanding of these genes will provide new insights into the disease pathogenesis. This knowledge will also aid in identifying the biomarkers for evaluating the efficacy of vaccination and other interventions.