Tumor necrosis factor-alpha, interleukin-1-beta and immunoglobulin (GM and KM) polymorphisms in leprosy. A linkage study.

In order to determine the genetic components of susceptibility to leprosy in 6 multiplex French Polynesian families, linkage analysis was carried out between a putative disease gene and 6 polymorphic loci: G1M, G2M, KM, IL-1 beta, TNF-alpha (1, 2) and TNF-alpha (A, G) using the lod score method. The three modes of inheritance, assuming a full penetrance value or reduced penetrance values (80 and 40%) for the susceptible allele, as well as with affected ones only, were tested. The results of this study provide no evidence for linkage between leprosy and the markers tested.