Association of Tuberculosis with TLR-9 Gene polymorphism and C-Reactive Protein Levels in Blood of Humans and Animals

Tuberculosis (TB) is an important bacterial zoonotic disease, causing mortality in humans and animals every year. Pakistan is ranked among top ten in the world based on the prevalence of tuberculosis in humans. Susceptibility to the disease has been linked with genetic variation in TLR-9 gene. Similarly, higher levels of C reactive protein have been reported in TB patients. This study was conducted to investigate the demography of tuberculosis in humans and to explore the association of TLR-9 genes and C-reactive protein levels in patients with tuberculosis in Faisalabad population. The study was also carried out on dairy animals. For TLR-9 gene polymorphism, DNA was extracted, amplified by PCR and fragmented by using restriction enzyme (Bst NI) and visualized after gel electrophoresis. To determine the C-reactive protein concentration, serum samples were sent to the commercial laboratory for ELISA. The demographic analysis showed that majority (P<0.05) of the patients had age between 18-50, height between 5.6-6.0 ft and weight between 50-60 kg. Furthermore, the majority were uneducated, unemployed or belonged to low-income status. Among tuberculosis patients, 86% were smokers, 32% had diabetes, 24% had cardiac disorders, 2% had HIV, 24% had a family history of TB and 20% had hepatitis. Furthermore, there was no family history of TB. The SNP analysis of TLR-9 gene (1237 C/T) showed no association with tuberculosis. However, the serum C-reactive protein levels were significantly (P<0.05) higher in TB positive cases as compared to controls, in both humans and animals. (C) 2021 PVJ. All rights reserved

Automated summary

The study investigated the demography of tuberculosis in humans in Faisalabad, Pakistan, and explored the association of TLR-9 gene and C-reactive protein levels with tuberculosis. The SNP analysis of TLR-9 gene (1237 C/T) showed no association with tuberculosis, but serum C-reactive protein levels were significantly higher in TB positive cases compared to controls, in both humans and animals.