Association of an HLA-DQ Allele With Clinical Tuberculosis

Abstract
ABOUT A THIRD of the earth's population is infected with Mycobacterium tuberculosis,1-3 the bacteria that causes tuberculosis (TB). Infection with M tuberculosis results in a variety of conditions ranging from asymptomatic infection to progressive pulmonary or extrapulmonary TB and death.4 Approximately 1 in 10 of those infected will progress to active disease during their lifetime.1-3 Tuberculosis is the leading cause of death due to an infectious disease worldwide, accounting for approximately 3 million deaths annually.1-3