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Predisposition for cholera of individuals with O blood group. Possible evolutionary significance
Insights
Cholera patients with blood group O were more likely to experience severe diarrhea. This blood group association with cholera severity may explain gene prevalence in the Gangetic Delta region.
Area of Science:
- Epidemiology
- Medical Genetics
- Infectious Diseases
Background:
- Diarrheal diseases pose a significant public health challenge globally.
- Understanding host factors influencing disease severity is crucial for effective management.
- Previous research has explored associations between blood groups and various infectious diseases.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the association between blood groups and diarrheal diseases, specifically cholera.
- To determine if blood group influences the risk of V. cholerae 01 infection or disease severity.
Main Methods:
- Retrospective analysis of blood groups in hospitalized diarrheal patients.
- Comparison of blood group distribution between cholera patients and community controls.
- Follow-up study on family contacts of cholera patients to assess infection risk and disease severity in relation to blood group.
Main Results:
- A significant association was found only for cholera, with patients twice as likely to be blood group O and one-ninth as likely to be blood group AB compared to controls.
- Blood group did not influence the risk of V. cholerae 01 infection but was directly related to disease severity.
- Individuals with severe cholera were more frequently blood group O (68%) and less frequently blood group AB (0%) compared to those with asymptomatic infections (36% and 7%, respectively).
Conclusions:
- Blood group O is associated with an increased likelihood of severe cholera, while blood group AB may offer some protection.
- The genetic predisposition related to blood groups may contribute to the observed gene prevalence patterns in the Gangetic Delta.
- Further research is needed to elucidate the molecular mechanisms underlying this blood group-related protection against severe cholera.
Abstract:
At the Matlab Hospital of the International Centre for Diarrhoeal Disease Research, Bangladesh, the authors examined the blood groups of patients hospitalized between January and September 1979 for diarrheal disease due to a variety of bacterial and viral agents. A significant association was identified only for cholera, in which cholera patients were twice as likely to have blood group O and one-ninth as likely to have blood group AB as community controls. A follow-up study of family contacts of cholera patients, carried out between September 1980 and July 1982, indicated that blood group did not affect an individual's risk of having a culture-proven infection with V. cholerae 01 but was directly related to the severity of disease. Individuals with the most severe diarrhea compared with those with asymptomatic infection were more often of blood group O (68% versus 36%, p less than 0.01) and less often of AB (0% versus 7%, p less than 0.01). It was not possible to identify the molecular basis for this genetically related protection using biologic models of cholera that are currently available. The constant selective pressure of cholera against people of O blood group may account in part for the extremely low prevalence of O group genes and the high prevalence of B group genes found among the people living in the Gangetic Delta.