Susceptibility to infection

摘要

Genetic factors explain, at least in part, why some people resist infection more successfully than others. Rare gene disruptions cause fatal vulnerability to specific microbes, but more subtle differences are common and arise from minor variation in many genes. Recent advances in the human genome project and in high throughput genotyping technology will make it feasible within the next decade to screen the whole genome for genetic factors that determine susceptibility to HIV and AIDS, malaria, and tuberculosis. This will help to identify critical pathways of host defence and generate novel strategies for disease prevention. Understanding the evolutionary impact of infectious disease on the human genome may shed light on the origins of other common diseases, particularly those with an atopic or autoimmune component.