Genetic variants associated with susceptibility of Ashkenazi Jews to West Nile virus infection.

The epidemiology of West Nile virus (WNV) in Israel is different from other neighbouring countries in the Middle East where disease burden has been minimal. We analysed a cohort of Ashkenazi Jewish patients with symptomatic WNV infection (n = 39), and WNV-negative controls (n = 61), for nine genetic variants that has been suggested to be associated with susceptibility to WNV. Two single nucleotide polymorphisms were significantly more frequent in WNV-infected than non-infected individuals, rs7280422 (MX1) [odds ratio (OR) 4·05, 95% confidence interval (CI) 2·04-8·03, P < 0·001] and rs3213545 (OASL) (OR 1·85, 95% CI 1·03-3·3, P = 0·03). Genetic polymorphism may play a significant role in susceptibility to WNV infection in Ashkenazi Jews.