Severe Pertussis is 1.5 times more likely if poor vitamin D receptor

Association of Vitamin D Receptor Polymorphism with Susceptibility to Symptomatic Pertussis.

PLoS One. 2016 Feb 19;11(2):e0149576. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0149576. eCollection 2016.

Han WG1, Hodemaekers HM2, Nagarajah B2, Poelen MM1, Helm K1, Janssen R2, van Els CA1.

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Pertussis, caused by infection with the gram negative B. pertussis bacterium, is a serious respiratory illness that can last for months. While B. pertussis infection rates are estimated between 1-10% in the general population, notifications of symptomatic pertussis only comprise 0.01-0.1% indicating that most individuals clear B. pertussis infections without developing (severe) clinical symptoms. In this study we investigated whether genetic risk factors are involved in the development of symptomatic pertussis upon B. pertussis infection. Single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in candidate genes, MBL2, IL17A, TNFα, VDR, and IL10 were genotyped in a unique Dutch cohort of symptomatic clinically confirmed (ex-)pertussis patients and in a Dutch population cohort. Of the seven investigated SNPs in five genes, a polymorphism in the Vitamin D receptor (VDR) gene (rs10735810) was associated with pertussis. The VDR major allele and its homozygous genotype were more present in the symptomatic pertussis patient cohort compared to the control population cohort. Interestingly, the VDR major allele correlated also with the duration of reported pertussis symptoms. Vitamin D3 (VD3) and VDR are important regulators of immune activation. Altogether, these findings suggest that polymorphisms in the VDR gene may affect immune activation and the clinical outcome of B. pertussis infection.

PMID: 26894582 PMCID: PMC4760950

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  • pertussis = whooping cough

  • A poor Vitamin D Receptor restricts the amount of vitamin D which actually gets to cells (where the benefit happens)

  • There is a greatly increased risk for over 30 diseases associated with poor Vitamin D Receptors

See also Vitamin D Life

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