The development of asthma in children infected with Chlamydia pneumoniae is dependent on the modifying effect of

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Published on: April 16, 2019

Adrienne Nagy1, Gergely T Kozma, Márton Keszei

  • 1Budai Children's Hospital, Budapest, Hungary.

The Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology
|October 18, 2003
PubMed

Insights

Variant mannose-binding lectin (MBL) alleles increase children's asthma risk when infected with Chlamydia pneumoniae. Chronic infections with variant MBL alleles significantly heighten this risk, suggesting a key role in asthma development.

Area of Science:

  • Pediatric Allergy and Immunology
  • Infectious Diseases
  • Genetics

Background:

  • Chlamydia pneumoniae infections are linked to asthma exacerbations in adults, but its role in childhood asthma initiation is unclear.
  • Previous research on C. pneumoniae and childhood asthma development yielded controversial results.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the role of C. pneumoniae infection in childhood asthma.
  • To examine how mannose-binding lectin (MBL) variant alleles modify asthma susceptibility in children with C. pneumoniae infection.

Main Methods:

  • Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) for C. pneumoniae-specific antibodies.
  • Polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism (PCR-RFLP) for MBL genotyping.

Main Results:

  • No overall difference in C. pneumoniae antibodies between asthmatic children and controls.
  • Asthmatic children with variant MBL alleles showed higher C. pneumoniae IgG levels (63.7% vs 40.7%).
  • Variant MBL alleles increased asthma risk in infected children, particularly with chronic/recurrent infections (OR 5.38).

Conclusions:

  • Variant MBL alleles are crucial for asthma susceptibility in children with C. pneumoniae infection.
  • This genetic factor significantly influences the development of asthma following C. pneumoniae exposure.
Abstract

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