To evaluate the role of polymorphisms in genes TLR1, TLR2 and TLR4 and susceptibility to leprosy in a genetic case control study; to verify the association between genotypes of these markers and the immunological profile in the serum of patients with leprosy.
The high relevance of host gene polymorphisms with outcome of Mycobacterium leprae infection led us to study the genetic association of TLR4G896A polymorphism in order to identify its risk among contacts of affected leprosy patients.
Our data suggest that TLR4 polymorphisms are associated with susceptibility to leprosy and that this effect may be mediated at the cellular level by the modulation of TLR4 signalling by M. leprae.