Chemokine receptor CCR5 polymorphisms and Chagas' disease cardiomyopathy

In this study we investigated the possible role of two CCR5 gene polymorphisms, CCR5 Delta 32 deletion and CCR5 59029 A -->G promoter point mutation, in determining the susceptibility to Trypanosoma cn,(Zi infection as well as in the development of chagasic heart disease. These CCR5 polymorphisms were assessed in 85 seropositive (asymptomatic, n=53; cardi- omyopathic, n=32) and 87 seronegative individuals. The extremely low frequency (0.009) of the CCR5 Delta 32 allele in our population did not allow us to analyse its possible influence on T cruzi infection. We found no differences in the distribution of CCR5 59029 promoter genotype or phenotype frequencies between total chagasic patients and controls. However, we observed that the CCR5 59029-A/G genotype was significantly increased in asymptomatic with respect to cardiomyopathic patients (P=0 02; OR=0 33 95% CI 0.10- 0.94). In addition, the presence of the CCR5 59029-G allele was also increased in asymptomatics when compared with cardiomyopathics (P=0 02;. OR=0.35, 95% CI 0.12-0.96). Our data suggest that the CCR5 59029 promoter polymorphism may be involved in a differential susceptibility to chagasic cardiomyopathy.