MEFV mutation carriage in Israeli Jewish individuals from ethnicities with low risk for familial Mediterranean fever

Familial Mediterranean fever (FMF) is a disease caused by mutations in the MEditerranean FeVer gene (MEFV), and in Israel it most commonly affects Jews of North African extraction, in whom the mutation carrier rate is as high as 1 in 5. To assess the protective as well as the modulating affect of MEFV mutation carriage on various inflammatory disease states, we sought to define the frequency of MEFV mutations in Israeli Jewish individuals of various ethnicities, including those with low frequency of FMF, which were not in the focus of our attention hitherto. A total of 163 adults of Bucharian, Turkish, Georgian, Yemenite and Bulgarian origin comprised the study group. The prevalence of the most frequent MEFV mutations in the Israeli Jewish population, namely: M694V, V726A and E148Q, was assessed. The association of mutation carriage with a personal history of FMF-like phenomena, as well as various inflammatory and non-inflammatory diseases, was evaluated. A high MEFV mutation frequency was found among Jews of Bucharian, Georgian and Bulgarian origin (20%), whereas intermediate and low rates were detected in Jews of Turkish and Yemenite extraction (14 and 8%, respectively). FMF-like manifestations and related diseases were observed more often in MEFV mutation carriers than in their counterparts. MEFV mutation frequency, directly assessed by DNA analysis, exceeds the rate calculated from disease prevalence in Israeli Jewish individuals originated from ethnicities with a low prevalence of FMF. MEFV mutation carriage in this subgroup is associated with various inflammatory disorders. Journal of Human Genetics (2009) 54, 369-371; doi:10.1038/jhg.2009.33; published online 17 April 2009