Affiliations: Division of Infectious Diseases, Department of
Pediatrics, Faculty of Medicine, Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok,
Thailand | Division of Medical Genetics and Metabolism,
Department of Pediatrics, Faculty of Medicine, Chulalongkorn University,
Bangkok, Thailand
Note: [] Correspondence: Dr. Usa Thisyakorn, Division of Infectious
Diseases, Department of Pediatrics, Faculty of Medicine, Chulalongkorn
University, Bangkok 10330, Thailand. Tel.: +662 256 4930; Fax: +662 256 4930;
E-mail: drwor2002@yahoo.com
Abstract: Dengue infection has become one of the most important public health
problems worldwide. It can be asymptomatic or cause illnesses ranging from a
mild to a severe and sometimes fatal disease. The mechanism underlying disease
severity is still not fully understood. Several studies, however, have
suggested an immune-mediated process. There are three potential factors
contributing to disease severity, including host genetic, virological and
epidemiological factors. Recent studies have demonstrated host genetic factors
that correlate with susceptibility or resistance to severe dengue infection.
Several human leukocyte antigen alleles and non-human leukocyte antigen alleles
have been investigated and found to be associated with dengue infection and
disease severity. Further studies of genetic risk factors will undoubtedly give
important insights into the mechanism of dengue virus pathogenesis leading to
the development of more effective strategies for risk assessment, immunotherapy
as well as vaccine design.
