Interleukin-1 gene polymorphisms and toxoplasmic retinochoroiditis

PURPOSE: It has been proposed that cytokine gene polymorphisms can predispose individuals to disease by enhancing inflammatory processes. Considering the relevance of interleukin-1 (IL-1) in the pathogenesis of toxoplasmic retinochoroiditis (TR), we investigated whether IL1A −889 C/T and IL1B +3954C/T promoter polymorphisms are associated with TR in humans. METHODS: We performed a cross-sectional study that involved 100 Brazilian TR patients and 100 age- and gender-matched control subjects. Genomic DNA was obtained from oral swabs of all participants and amplified using polymerase chain reaction (PCR) with specific primers flanking the locus −889 of IL1A and +3954 of IL1B. PCR products were submitted to digestion and analyzed by PAGE to distinguish C and T alleles. RESULTS: There was no significant difference in the genotype or allele distributions of the IL1A −889 C/T and IL1B +3954C/T polymorphisms in patients with TR when compared with controls. However, in a subgroup analysis, the frequency of genotype and allele distributions of IL1A −889 C/T differed significantly between TR patients with and without recurrent episodes. CONCLUSION: This study suggests that the genotypes related with a high production of IL-1a may be associated with the recurrence of TR.