HEALTH : Black TB Rate Linked to Genetics
From Times Wire Services
BOSTON —
The relatively high rate of tuberculosis among blacks, long blamed on poverty, appears to result in part from a genetic susceptibility to the disease, a study concludes.
The study found that in nursing homes and prisons, where the races have identical living conditions, blacks are twice as likely as whites to become infected with TB bacteria.
Researchers said they were surprised by their discovery, which suggests that while crowded housing and other social conditions play important roles in spreading the disease, genetic factors also appear to influence people’s ability to resist TB.
