The frequency distribution of vitamin D Receptor fok I gene polymorphism among Ugandan pulmonary TB patients

About this activity

According to the World Health Organization (WHO) report on the ‘Use of high burden country lists for TB by WHO in the post-2015 era (WHO/HTM/TB/2015.29), Uganda was removed from the 22 high TB burden countries. However Uganda is still among the 41 high TB/human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) burden countriesn Objectives Course Objective (TB) is still a major problem globally and especially in Africa. Vitamin D deficiency has been linked to TB in the past and studies have found vitamin D deficiency to be common among Ugandan TB patients. The functional activity of vitamin D is dependent on the genotype of the vitamin D receptor (VDR) polymorphic genes. Recent findings have indicated that VDR polymorphisms may cause increased resistance or susceptibility to TB. The vitamin D ligand and its receptor play a pivotal role in innate immunity by eliciting antimicrobial activity, which is important in prevention of TB.