SNP IFNG rs1861494 gene polymorphism in pediatric patients with gastroenteritis and its relation to co-infectious with Adenovirus and Cryptosporidium

Introduction and Aim: The most common cause of infantile gastroenteritis is enteric adenoviruses, while Cryptosporidiosis is caused by Cryptosporidium. The function of IFN-gamma (IFNG/IFN-y) in immunological responses, inflammation, and autoimmune disease is increasingly recognized. This study aimed to examine intestinal co-infections of Cryptosporidium and adenovirus in pediatrics and the role of IFNG rs1861494 polymorphism to gastroenteritis among Iraqi children. Materials and Methods: This case control study included 75 pediatric patients with severe gastroenteritis, aged 3-120 months, with a mean age of 30.64 months. The apparently healthy control (AHC) in this study included 25 pediatric individuals with a mean age of 27.64 months. Total genomic DNA extracted from stool specimens were subjected to PCR detection of human adenovirus virus. SNP IFNG rs1861494 polymorphism was detected using the ARMS-PCR technique. Results: The percentage of males to female ratio in this study was 54:46. The positive PCR result of HADV7 was 28% (14 of 50 cases) while the positive result of Cryptosporidium was 6% (6 of 75 cases).Genotyping studies showed the GG genotype increased at rate OR=2.67 as compared to AG and AA genotypes for the SNP IFNG rs1861494. The SNP IFNG rs1861494 results in gastroenteritis were highly correlated with HADV7 and Cryptosporidium (respectively: r = 0.968, P = 0.007 as well as r = 0.984, P = 0.008). Conclusions: Adenovirus diarrhea in Iraqi pediatric patients is associated with SNP rs1861494 polymorphism and could possibly be used as a biomarker in assessing the susceptibility of Iraqi children to the virus.