cats and RA

[Guest guest]

Hi Everyone....I'm having trouble with my email today and have tried

posting this info at least 3 or 4 times. It never appears....someday

it might, so I'm sorry for all of the repeats! Anyway, here is the

info concerning cats and RA for those who requested it.

take care everyone,

Connie

A DGReview of : " Genetic susceptibility and the link between cat

exposure and rheumatoid arthritis "

Seminars in Arthritis and Rheumatism

12/28/2000

By Rose

Prior close exposure to cats in genetically susceptible subjects can

lead to the development of rheumatoid arthritis, according to a

recent report from Australia.

Researchers in the rheumatology departments.of Hospitals in Adelaide

and Melbourne designed a study to determine if the presence of HLA-

DRB1 alleles bearing the rheumatoid arthritis (RA) susceptibility

motif influenced risk for the disease, following prior pet exposure.

This study followed a previous case control study indicating the risk

between pet exposure and RA development. This acknowledged the

potential for pets to become reservoirs for microbial agents, capable

of stimulating chronic inflammation, under immunogenetic influence,

in susceptible subjects.

Participants included all available patients with RA and their case

controls who had formed part of the previous epidemiological study.

All provided blood samples.

Sequence analysis of oligonucleotides determined the DR and DQ

genotypes, which were amplified by polymerase chain reactions from

the DRB1 and DQB1 genes.

Subjects were then segregated , according to previously determined

pet exposure and genotype, for statistical analysis.

The odds ratio (OR) for pre-pubertal exposure to cats and RA in

available subjects irrespective of DRB1 genotype was 4.2. The OR

between prior exposure to cats and RA in subjects carrying the RA

susceptibility genotype DRB1 *0401 and *0404 was 5.8 and >24,

respectively.

There was no remarkable association seen between RA and pet exposure

in patients who were selected according to other genotypes.

There was a slightly stronger association between RA and the

recognized HLA-DR susceptibility motif in subjects with a history of

an intimate cat exposure, compared with subjects with no previous

close contact.

Researchers concluded that the findings suggested an interaction

between an environmental agent associated with pet cats and certain

RA susceptibility-conferring DR genotypes. The risk for RA associated

with intimate cat exposure also was significant in subjects with DRB1

*1501. This is a genotype not otherwise associated with RA but shares

with known RA susceptibility-bearing alleles, the presence of an

electropositive pocket (Pocket 4) in the DR peptide binding groove.

" Genetic susceptibility and the link between cat exposure and

rheumatoid arthritis "