Study: Gene Difference May Explain SARS Epidemic

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Study: Gene Difference May Explain SARS Epidemic

 

Reuters News

 

http://66.242.35.139/news/item.php?keyid=6254 & page=1 & category=1

October 2, 2003

 

Study: Gene Difference May Explain SARS Epidemic

 

 

Reuters News

 

Wed October 1, 2003

 

 

By Maggie Fox, Health and Science Correspondent

 

 

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A genetic susceptibility may explain why SARS raged

last year in southeast Asia and nowhere else in the world outside of

Toronto, Taiwanese researchers reported this week.

 

They found a certain variant in an immune system gene called human leukocyte

antigen, or HLA, made patients in Taiwan much more likely to develop

life-threatening symptoms of SARS.

 

The gene variant is common in people of southern Chinese descent, the team

at Mackay Memorial Hospital in Taipei reported.

 

Their finding, published in an online journal, BMC Medical Genetics, must be

confirmed by independent researchers. But the Taiwanese team said the

genetics could explain the puzzling distribution of SARS last year.

 

" After the outbreak of SARS coronavirus infection in the Guangdong Province

of China, it was surprising to observe that the spreading of the disease was

mostly confined among southern Asian populations (the Hong Kong people,

Vietnamese, Singaporeans and Taiwanese), " they wrote.

 

Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome first arose in Guangdong last November. It

spread to Hong Kong, Vietnam, Beijing and Singapore, and was transported

around the world by airliner. SARS eventually was suspected of affecting

8,098 people and killing 774, according to the World Health Organization´s

latest figures.

 

The flu-like disease is caused by a virus from a family known as

coronaviruses. They cause diseases in livestock and some cases of the common

cold in people.

 

The SARS coronavirus is unique genetically but similar versions have been

found in animals sold in Chinese food markets.

 

Marie Lin, Chun-Hsiung Huang and colleagues examined the HLA gene in 37

cases of probable SARS, 28 fever patients excluded later as probable SARS,

and 101 non-infected health care workers who were exposed or possibly

exposed to SARS coronavirus.

 

" An additional control set of 190 normal healthy unrelated Taiwanese was

also used in the analysis, " they wrote in their report.

 

They found that patients with severe cases of SARS were likely to have a

version of the HLA gene called HLA-B 4601.

 

They noted that no indigenous Taiwanese, who make up about 1.5 percent of

the population, ever developed SARS. HLA-B 4601 is not seen among indigenous

Taiwanese, they noted.

 

" Interestingly, (HLA-B 4601) is also seldom seen in European populations, "

they added.

 

 

 

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