evaluation of ifn-γ polymorphism in visceral leishmaniasis

background: leishmaniasis is a tropical disease that is endemic in some areas of iran, including east azerbaijan . ifn-γ is one of the cytokines that triggers cell-mediated immunity, thus initiating elimination of the infection. this case-control study was performed to investigate the association between the polymorphism of the ifn-γ gene at the +874a/t locus and visceral leishmaniasis (vl). methods: in this study conducted during 2012-2013, 267 participants were selected from individuals living in an endemic area of vl. subjects were divided into three groups; 86 patients with vl, 82 seropositive individuals without any history of leishmaniasis, and 99 seronegative healthy controls. genotyping of the ifn-γ +874a/t polymorphism was carried out using an amplification refractory mutation system-pcr (arms-pcr). results: the frequency of the +874a allele in the patient group (75.5%) was higher than in the seropositive individuals (54%). the highest frequency of the +874 t / t genotype was observed in seropositive individuals, while the patient group had the lowest frequency (34.1% vs. 24.5%) . however, these differences were not significant. conclusion: there was no significant association between ifn- γ +874a/t polymorphism and vl.