01605nas a2200313   4500000000100000008004100001260001700042653001000059653001200069653001000081653001100091653003800102653001100140653002100151653001200172653000900184653001000193653000900203653002900212653002600241653001700267100001200284700001400296245008200310300001100392490000800403520086600411022001401277       1999                            d  c1999 Jul-Aug10aAdult10aAnimals10aChild10aGambia10aGenetic Predisposition to Disease10aHumans10aImmunity, Innate10aleprosy10aMale10aMalta10aMice10aMycobacterium Infections10aReceptors, Interferon10aTuberculosis1 aLevin M1 aNewport M00aUnderstanding the genetic basis of susceptibility to mycobacterial infection.  a308-120 v1113 a<p>Genetic factors have long been suspected of determining susceptibility and resistance to mycobacterial infection. The recent identification of families with a unique susceptibility to mycobacterial infection, and the identification of mutations in the genes for either the interferon-gamma (IFN-gamma) receptor or the interleukin (IL)-12 receptor as the cause of the defect, has provided an important clue to the pathways critical for resistance to mycobacterial infection in humans. Although the genetically determined absence of key cytokines or their receptors results in susceptibility to lethal mycobacterial infections in early childhood, it is likely that more subtle mutations that result in only partial dysfunction of macrophage upregulation pathways may play a role in susceptibility to tuberculosis (TB) and leprosy in the general population.</p>  a1081-650X