The combined impact of persistent infections and human genetic variation on C-reactive protein levels

Multiple human pathogens establish chronic, sometimes life-long infections. Even if they are often latent, these infections can trigger some degree of local or systemic immune response, resulting in chronic low-grade inflammation. There remains an incomplete understanding of the potential contribution of both persistent infections and human genetic variation on chronic low-grade inflammation. We searched for potential associations between seropositivity for 13 persistent pathogens and the plasma levels of the inflammatory biomarker C-reactive protein (CRP), using data collected in the context of the UK Biobank and the CoLaus|PsyCoLaus Study, two large population-based cohorts. We performed backward stepwise regression starting with the following potential predictors: serostatus for each pathogen, polygenic risk score for CRP, and demographic and clinical factors known to be associated with CRP. We found evidence for an association between Chlamydia trachomatis (P-value = 5.04e − 3) and Helicobacter pylori (P-value = 8.63e − 4) seropositivity and higher plasma levels of CRP. We also found an association between pathogen burden and CRP levels (P-value = 4.12e − 4). These results improve our understanding of the relationship between persistent infections and chronic inflammation, an important determinant of long-term morbidity in humans. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s12916-022-02607-7.