HIV/AIDS & Tuberculosis: Mannose-binding lectin deficiency related to lower HIV and tuberculosis risk

AIDSWEEKLY Plus; Monday, September 25, 2006
Staff Medical Writers

"Mannose-binding lectin (MBL) is a serum lectin that mediates phagocytosis and activates complement. Its deficiency has been associated with increased susceptibility to infectious diseases, mainly in childhood.

"However, nonproducer mbl-2 alleles are common in most populations, suggesting a selective advantage of these alleles," wrote investigators in Spain.

According to researchers, "We have analyzed the association of mbl-2 structural and promoter polymorphisms with HIV infection and tuberculosis (TBC) in a white Spanish population, including 615 HIV patients with and without TBC, 127 no-HIV TBC patients, 142 TBC household contacts and 344 controls."

"The frequency of low or nonproducer mbl-2 genotypes was lower in HIV patients than in controls. HIV-TBC patients presented lower frequencies of low or nonproducer alleles and genotypes than HIN no-TBC patients and controls.

"Additionally," reported M.I. Garcia-Laorden and colleagues at Hospital Gran Canaria Dr. Negrin in Las Palmas Gran Canaria, "we found a significantly positive correlation between the incidence of TBC and the frequency of nonproducer mbl-2 alleles in Western Europe."

"Therefore," said the authors, "MBL deficiency may be associated with a lower risk of HIV infection, and also of active TBC, at least in HIV patients. The protective role of low-producer mbl-2 genotypes against TBC together with the positive correlation observed between nonproducer mbl-2 alleles and TBC incidence, suggest a balancing selection."

Garcia-Laorden concluded, "In spite of an increased susceptibility to respiratory infections associated with MBL deficiency, mbl-2 deficient alleles would have been selected along different populations as a consequence of its selective advantage against intracellular pathogens, such as M. tuberculosis."

Garcia-Laorden and colleagues published the results of their research in Molecular Immunology (Influence of mannose-binding lectin on HIV infection and tuberculosis in a Western-European population. Mol Immunol. 2006 Jul;43(14):2143-50).

For additional information, contact M.I. Garcia-Laorden, Hospital Gran Canaria Dr. Negrin, Dept. of Immunology & RedResp, ISCiii, RTIC 0311, Barranco Ballena S-N, Las Palmas Gran Canaria 35010, Spain.

The publisher of the journal Molecular Immunology can be contacted at: Pergamon-Elsevier Science Ltd., the Boulevard, Langford Lane, Kidlington, Oxford OX5 1GB, England.

Keywords: Las Palmas Gran Canaria, Spain, HIV/AIDS, Mannose Binding Lectin, Gene Polymorphisms, Tuberculosis.

This article was prepared by AIDS Weekly editors from staff and other reports.

Reference

Garcia-Laorden MI, Pena MJ,Caminero JA, et al., “Influence of mannose-binding lectin on HIV infection and tuberculosis in a Western-European population”, Mol Immunol. 2006 Jul;43(14):2143-50.

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