Toll like receptor-4 gene polymorphisms in patients with solitary cysticercus granuloma

• Solitary cysticercus granuloma (SCG) of the brain is the most common type of neurocysticercosis in India.
• TLR4 polymorphisms Asp/Gly at 299 and Thr/Ile at 399 are associated with the susceptibility to infection with SCG.
• TLR4 299Asp/Gly and 399Ile/Thr polymorphisms were significantly associated with the calcification or persistence of SCG.

BackgroundSolitary cysticercus granuloma (SCG) of the brain is the most common type of neurocysticercosis in India. In this study, we evaluated TLR4 polymorphisms in patients with SCG.MethodsOne-hundred-forty-three patients with SCG and 134 controls were enrolled. Assessment for TLR4 Asp299Gly and Thr399Ile polymorphism was done. TLR4 genotype was determined by PCR-sequencing chain termination method. The patients were followed for 6 months.ResultsAsp/Gly (P = 0.024) and Thr/Ile (P = 0.004) genotypes were significantly associated with the SCG. The Gly (Asp/Gly plus Gly/Gly) genotype (P = 0.025) and Ile (Thr/Ile plus Ile/Ile) genotype (P = 0.008) were significantly associated with the SCG. Gly/Gly and Ile/Ile genotypes were not significantly associated with SCG (P = 0.767 for Gly/Gly, P = 0.936 for Ile/Ile). At 6 months, TLR4 299Asp/Gly (P = 0.02) and 399Ile/Thr (P = 0.023) polymorphisms were significantly associated with the calcification or persistence of SCG.ConclusionsTLR4 polymorphisms are associated with the susceptibility to infection with SCG.