Abstract

Objectives: The aim of this study is to genotype the Apo E polymorphism and to show the variations in our tuberculosis patients and healthy volunteers who are from an area which has a high tuberculosis prevalance in Turkey. By comparing the data from patients and healthy individuals we aimed to understand whether host related factors like Apo E genotype of the patients are taking a role in the development of infection.
Material and Methods: In this study 60 Tuberculosis (TB) patients and 160 healthy individuals collected by Turgut Ozal Medical Center and Malatya Public Health Office were included. DNA was isolated from peripheral blood samples. Apo E genotyping was performed by using a commercial Real-Time PCR kit. The Fisher’s exact test and Likelihood Ratio test was used to compare genotype and allele frequencies.
Results: Unlike others our study revealed no significant association between tuberculosis and Apo E genotypes. The data was analysed by comparing patient and healthy subject results.
Conclusion: This is the first study from Turkey that focuses on the association of Apo E and tuberculosis infection. Although others found, we couldn’t find an association between tuberculosis and Apo E genotypes in our subject group. Although all the patients that could be reached in Malatya were included, the main limitation was the number of patients. By looking at bigger populations we may have more informative data.

Key words: TB; SNP; Apo E; Genotyping.