Genetic Analysis of TB Susceptibility Variants in Ghana Reveals Candidate Protective Loci in and Genes.

Despite advancements made toward diagnostics, caused by (Maf) and (Mtbss) remains a major public health issue. Human host factors are key players in (TB) outcomes and treatment. Research is required to probe the interplay between host and bacterial genomes. Here, we explored the association between selected human/host genomic variants and TB disease in Ghana. Paired host genotype datum and infecting bacterial isolate information were analyzed for associations using a multinomial logistic regression. complex (MTBC) isolates were obtained from 191 TB patients and genotyped into different phylogenetic lineages by standard methods. Two hundred and thirty-five (235) nondisease participants were used as healthy controls. A selection of 29 SNPs from TB disease-associated genes with high frequency among African populations was assayed using a TaqMan® SNP Genotyping Assay and iPLEX Gold Sequenom Mass Genotyping Array. Using 26 high-quality SNPs across 326 case-control samples in an association analysis, we found a protective variant, rs955263, in the gene against both Maf and Mtb infections (  = 0.05; OR = 0.33; 95% CI = 0.32-0.34). A relatively uncommon variant, rs17235409 in the gene was observed with an even stronger protective effect against Mtb infection (MAF = 0.06; PBH = 0.04; OR = 0.05; 95% CI = 0.04-0.05). These findings suggest SLC11A1 and SORBS2 as a potential protective gene of substantial interest for TB, which is an important pathogen in West Africa, and highlight the need for in-depth host-pathogen studies in West Africa.