Polymorphisms at tumor necrosis factor (TNF) loci are not associated with Chagas' disease

Abstract: The aim of this study was to investigate whether the polymorphisms at the TNF loci are associated with Chagas' disease. We determined the TNFA (positions -308, -244 and -238) and TNFB genotypes in a sample of 85 serologically positive chagasic individuals and in 87 healthy controls from a Peruvian population where Trypanosoma cruzi infection is endemic. Patients were subdivided according to the presence ( n =33) or absence ( n =52) of chagasic chronic cardiomyopathy, in order to search for genetic differences associated with this pathological condition. No significant differences either between patients and controls or between asymptomatic and cardiomyopath-ic individuals were observed with respect to TNFA or TNFB polymorphisms when these were considered individually or as extended haplotypes.