ArticleThe Journal of experimental medicine2009
Parasites represent a major selective force for interleukin genes and shape the genetic predisposition to autoimmune conditions.
Article in The Journal of experimental medicine, 2009. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 124 papers, 2 of them syntheses that pooled it.
What it found
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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
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Who cites it
124 citing papers in PubMed, 2 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 248 citations in OpenAlex.
- The role of host genetic factors in respiratory tract infectious diseases: systematic review, meta-analyses and field synopsis.Scientific reports · 2015Pooled it
- Meta-analysis identifies 29 additional ulcerative colitis risk loci, increasing the number of confirmed associations to 47.Nature genetics · 2011Pooled it
- A Randomised, Double-blind, Placebo-controlled Trial of Trichuris suis ova in Active Crohn's Disease.Journal of Crohn's & colitis · 2017Trial
- Effect of hookworm infection on wheat challenge in celiac disease--a randomised double-blinded placebo controlled trial.PloS one · 2011Trial
- Horizontal gene transfer rivals gene duplication as a source of anti-parasitoid immune innovation in the Drosophilidae.bioRxiv : the preprint server for biology · 2026Article
- Anisakiasis: A Decade of Molecular and Diagnostic Advancements (2015-2026).International journal of molecular sciences · 2026Review
- Helminths as architects of trained tolerance: implications for human health.Clinical & translational immunology · 2026Review
- A new perspective on population genetics: Deciphering the relationship between genetic variants and disease prevalence in Psoriasis.PloS one · 2026Article
- An evolutionary genomic perspective on preterm birth, genome editing, and pregnancy in the human species.Frontiers in genome editing · 2026Review
- Decoding the interplay between COVID-19 and diabetic nephropathy through bioinformatics and systems biology techniques.Biochemistry and biophysics reports · 2025Article
- Analysis of Potential Genes, Acute Phase Proteins and Hormonal Profiles Associated with Methicillin-ResistantVeterinary sciences · 2025Article
- Evolutionary View of Liver Pathology.Evolutionary applications · 2024Review
- Early human migration determines the risk of being attacked by wolves: ethnic gene diversity on the development of systemic lupus erythematosus.Journal of rheumatic diseases · 2024Review
- Association of IL13 polymorphisms with susceptibility to myocardial infarction: A case-control study in Chinese population.PloS one · 2024Article
- Association of mannose binding lectin with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease susceptibility and its clinical outcomes.Molecular biology reports · 2023Article
- Genetic adaptation to pathogens and increased risk of inflammatory disorders in post-Neolithic Europe.Cell genomics · 2023Article
- Evolutionary history of type II transmembrane serine proteases involved in viral priming.Human genetics · 2022Article
- Host-Parasite Relationship-Nematode Communities in Populations of Small Mammals.Animals : an open access journal from MDPI · 2022Article
- IL-4 gene polymorphisms and their association with nematodes infection in Pakistani population.African health sciences · 2022Article
- Microbial regulation of intestinal motility provides resistance against helminth infection.Mucosal immunology · 2022Article
64 more citing papers are in PubMed but not listed here.
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
8 authors at 4 institutions in 1 country.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
Many human genes have adapted to the constant threat of exposure to infectious agents; according to the "hygiene hypothesis," lack of exposure to parasites in modern settings results in immune imbalances, augmenting susceptibility to the development of autoimmune and allergic conditions. Here, by estimating the number of pathogen species/genera in a specific geographic location (pathogen richness) for 52 human populations and analyzing 91 interleukin (IL)/IL receptor genes (IL genes), we show that helminths have been a major selective force on a subset of these genes. A population genetics analysis revealed that five IL genes, including IL7R and IL18RAP, have been a target of balancing selection, a selection process that maintains genetic variability within a population. Previous identification of polymorphisms in some of these loci, and their association with autoimmune conditions, prompted us to investigate the relationship between adaptation and disease. By searching for variants in IL genes identified in genome-wide association studies, we verified that six risk alleles for inflammatory bowel (IBD) or celiac disease are significantly correlated with micropathogen richness. These data support the hygiene hypothesis for IBD and provide a large set of putative targets for susceptibility to helminth infections.
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Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.