SLC11A1 (formerly NRAMP1) and susceptibility to visceral leishmaniasis in The Sudan.

Genetic susceptibility to visceral leishmaniasis (VL) is indicated by differences in incidence and clinical phenotypes between ethnic groups in Sudan. In mice, innate susceptibility to Leishmania donovani, the etiological agent of VL, is controlled by Slc11a1 (formerly Nramp1). We therefore examined polymorphisms at SLC11A1 in 59 multicase families of VL from the high-incidence Masalit tribe in Sudan.