Single nucleotide polymorphisms in the promoter of the gene encoding the lipopolysaccharide receptor CD14 are associated with bacterial diarrhea in US and Canadian travelers to Mexico.

Background: Under normal conditions, the expression of CD14, which is the principal receptor for bacterial lipopolysaccharide, is down-regulated in the intestinal mucosa but increases in response to inflammatory stimuli. The aim of the present study was to investigate whether fecal CD14 levels increased in response to infection with diarrheagenic Escherichia coli and whether single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in the CD14 gene were associated with an increased susceptibility to traveler's diarrhea (TD) in US visitors to Mexico.

Methods: Six SNPs located at the promoter, exon, and untranslated regions of CD14 were typed in a prospective cohort study of 1360 visitors to Mexico at risk for TD.