No association of TAP and LMP genetic polymorphism in human brucellosis and its complications

Molecules involved in antigen processing (LMP) and peptide transport (TAP) are coded by polymorphic genes. This polymorphism may influence the peptide antigen selection process and play a role in the pathogenesis of human brucellosis. We studied the polymorphism of the antigen processing and transport genes (LMP and TAP) in 61 patients with human brucellosis and 102 controls from southern Spain. We found no differences in the frequencies of the LMP and TAP genotypes between the patients and the controls. Study of the patients with and without focal or complicated forms showed a significant increase in the TAP2A/TAP2F genotype in those with focal forms compared with those without focal forms (16% vs 0%, p = 0.02), though this difference lost its significance after correction for the number of comparisons. This study suggests that larger studies will be needed to confirm or rule out the possible association of the TAP2A/TAP2F genotype or other possible associations with focal forms of brucellosis.