Polymorphism of the C-reactive protein gene is associated with mortality in bacteraemia
Carita Eklund1, Reetta Huttunen, Jaana Syrjänen
1Department of Microbiology and Immunology, University of Tampere Medical School, Finland. carita.eklund@uta.fi
Abstract:
C-reactive protein (CRP) is an important molecule in the defence against bacterial infections. To discover if variation in the CRP gene is associated with clinical outcome of bacteraemia, we investigated 147 microbiologically verified bacteraemia patients (mean age 59 y, range 19-93 y) and determined whether CRP -717A>G, +1059G>C or +1444C>T single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) were associated with clinical outcome of bacteraemia and/or CRP concentration caused by Staphylococcus aureus, Streptococcus pneumoniae, beta-haemolytic streptococci or Escherichia coli. The patients were genotyped for CRP gene polymorphisms, CRP was measured and clinical outcomes were recorded. The CRP -717A>G, a promoter region polymorphism was strongly associated with mortality from Streptococcus pneumoniae but did not correlate with plasma CRP concentration. These results suggest that mortality from Streptococcus pneumoniae may be associated with polymorphism of the promoter region of the CRP gene.
Related Concept Videos
Blood Studies for Cardiovascular System II: CRP, Hcy, and Cardiac Natriuretic Peptide Markers
These markers indicate stress or strain on the heart muscle:
Natriuretic Peptides (BNP)
Cardiac myocytes produce these hormones in response to ventricular stretching...
Clinical Significance of Antibiotic Resistance
Pharmacogenetics of Drug Targets: β₂-Adrenergic Receptors, Apo E, Thymidylate Synthase
Bacterial RNA Polymerase
In most genes, the transcription site is a single base present upstream of the coding sequence. Though RNAP is a catalytically efficient enzyme, it does not recognize...
Pharmacogenetic Phenotypes: Alterations in Pharmacokinetics, Drug Targets and Biologic Milieu
Mechanism of Antibiotic Resistance in MRSA

