Scientists at the Genome Institute of Singapore (GIS) and 26 institutes in China have identified seven genes associated with increased susceptibility to leprosy. The genes are CCDC122, C13orf31, NOD2, TNFSF15, HLA-DR, RIPK2 and LRRK2.

Scientists after analyzing about 10,000 samples from leprosy patients said the discovery of these genes that was reported in the 16 December New England Journal of Medicine, highlighted the role of innate immune response in the development of leprosy.

Dr Edison Liu, executive director of the Genome Institute of Singapore, said, “Though leprosy is uncommon, the discoveries have significant ramifications for chronic infectious disorders and for host-pathogen interactions in other more prevalent mycobacterial diseases such as tuberculosis.”

"This study represents one of the best and largest organized studies of the host genetics in infectious diseases published," added Dr Liu.

"This is a very impressive study, which entirely uncovers new genes that control susceptibility to leprosy and perhaps also other related diseases. A big benefit is that the study underpins the genetic data with plausible functional biology experimentation, which is not often seen," an immunologist Tom H. M. Ottenhoff, M. D., Ph. D., of Leiden University Medical Center in The Netherlands, said.

In addition to Dr Liu, the leaders of the GWAS on leprosy included, Xue-jun Zhang, M. D., Ph. D., of Institute of Dermatology and Department of Dermatology at No. 1 Hospital, Anhui Medical University, China and Fu-Ren Zhang, M. D., Ph. D., of Shandong Provincial Institute of Dermatology and Venereology.