MATERIALS AND METHODS RELATING TO THE IDENTIFICATION OF A POLYMORPHISM ASSOCIATED WITH DISEASE SUSCEPTIBILITY

摘要

The inventors have found a highly significant association between homozygotes (designated tt) for the less common allele t of the Taq1 VDR polymorphism and susceptibility to autoimmune infectious diseases such as tuberculosis, hepatitis B, leprosy, HIV-1. There is provided a method for the determination of an individual's susceptibility level to autoimmune disease or infectious disease which comprises obtaining a sample of tissue from the individual; obtaining from the tissue sample a test sample comprising nuclear material from cells of the tissue sample; establishing the individuals vitamin D receptor (VDR) genotype, namely establishing whether or not the individual is: homozygous or heterozygous for a less common allele of the gene for the vitamin D receptor (VDR) and wherein said less common allele of the VDR gene comprises the polymorphisms B and A in intron 8 of the VDR gene and the polymorphism t in exon 9 of the VDR gene; or homozygous for a more common allele of the VDR gene and wherein said more common allele of the VDR gene comprises the polymorphisms b and a in intron 8 of the VDR gene and the polymorphism T in exon 9 of the VDR gene and wherein the genotype in relation to the VDR is specifically associated with susceptibility level to one or more autoimmune or infectious diseases.