Cytokine gene polymorphisms in Iraqi Arabs.

In this report, 224 unrelated healthy Iraqi Arabs (102 males and 122 females) were genotyped for 22 SNPs (single nucleotide polymorphisms) belong to 13 cytokine genes (IL1A, IL1B, IL1RA, IL1R, IL2, IL4, IL4R, IL6, IL10, IL12, IFNG, TNFA and TGFB1). The method of detection was PCR-SSP (polymerase chain reaction-sequence specific primer). The data were presented in terms of allele and genotype frequencies.

Nontuberculosis Mycobacteria: Isolation from clinical samples in Iraq.

Objective/background: Nontuberculosis mycobacteria (NTM), defined as any mycobacterial strain other than Mycobacterium tuberculosis complex, are a diverse group of pathogens that cause a substantive, but often unappreciated worldwide burden of illness. NTM cause illness similar to M. tuberculosis, but generally do not respond to classic tuberculosis (TB) drug regimens.