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Abstract
Hepatitis A virus (HAV) usually results in asymptomatic infection or mild disease, but in a small subset of patients it can lead to severe disease and even liver failure. In this issue of the JCI, Kim et al. identify a polymorphism associated with this increased disease risk in the gene that encodes the HAV receptor — TIM1. Importantly, this TIM1 gene polymorphism protects from the development of atopic diseases in HAV-seropositive individuals.
Authors
Lucienne Chatenoud, Jean-François Bach
Figure 1
The immunopathology of hepatitis A and its relationship to allergic disease.
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There is a reciprocal relationship between the incidence of hepatitis A and the prevalence of allergic disease, as evidenced by rates of each in the United States and Argentina (where the patients included in the Kim et al. study were recruited). A minority of HAV-infected individuals exhibit a very severe form of the disease, and there is compelling evidence that HAV infection protects from allergic diseases. The work by Kim et al. (6 ) suggests that both features are under the genetic control of TIM1 .
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ISSN: 0021-9738 (print), 1558-8238 (online)