TLR2 c.374C>T variant linked to natural resistance against brucellosis in Italian Mediterranean river buffalo

Brucellosis poses a significant threat to human health and the livestock industry, particularly affecting small-scale farmers. Several studies have demonstrated that TLR2 can recognize the Brucella abortus (B. abortus) surface lipoproteins (i.e. Omp10, Omp16 and Omp19), thus activating the immune response. This process can be altered by single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in TLR gene. This study aims to investigate whether the presence of SNPs in TLR2 could influence the resistance against brucellosis in Italian Mediterranean river buffalo, through case-control study and computational analysis. The study involved 194 Italian Mediterranean buffaloes, from three herds located in Caserta (Campania, Italy), grouped into 98 positive and 96 negative to brucellosis. Both groups, aged 40-90 months, were raised under similar environmental and management conditions to ensure consistency in the sampling.

The integration of association study with in silico analysis demonstrated that the c.374T, located in exon 2 of the TLR2 gene, could be associated with resistance to brucellosis (OR = 0.61; p-value = 0.037).

This study highlights how TLRs genetic variations may influence protein activity and resistance to brucellosis. The genotyping analysis combined with in silico investigation could be considered an efficient approach for detecting possible candidate marker of resistance to buffalo brucellosis.