Scientists identified the Genes which Increase a Person’s Risk of Getting Dengue

Scientists identified two genes, which increase a person’s risk of getting dengue. Dengue is the most common mosquito-borne infection after malaria. It causes 100 million infections worldwide annually.

 For their research, the scientists conducted the first ever genome-wide association study to compare genomes of children with severe dengue against population controls. Scientists found changes in the DNA code located in two genes; MICB on chromosome 6 and PLCE1 on chromosome10. This increases a person’s susceptibility to dengue shock syndrome. MICB plays a role in the human body’s immune system and any variation in this gene can affect the activation of natural killer cells or CD8T cells. These cells play a key role in combating viral infection. PLCE1  contribute to the normal functioning of the vascular endothelium, the thin layer of cells that lines interior surface of blood vessels with some variants of PLCE1 predisposing an individual to leakage from the blood vessels, the hallmark clinical feature of dengue shock syndrome.

Initially, they compared 2008 patients against 2018 controls. They then replicated the findings in an independent follow-up sample of 1737 cases and 2934 controls, the latest edition of the Nature Genetics  journal reported.