A novel rare copy number variant of the ABCF1 gene identified among dengue fever patients from Peninsular Malaysia

Copy number variation (CNV) is a form of genetic variation in addition to single nucleotide polymorphisms. The significance of CNV in the manifestation of a number of diseases is only recently receiving considerable attention. We genotyped 163 dengue patients from Peninsular Malaysia for genes possibly linked to dengue infection using quantitative real-time PCR. Here, we report a serendipitous discovery of a novel rare CNV of the ABCF1 gene among the dengue patients. Among these patients, two had a gain of 1 copy (CN = 3) and one had lost 1 copy (CN = 1), indicating that a rare CNV of the ABCF1 gene was detected among dengue patients from Peninsular Malaysia. Although the gene is suspected to regulate inflammatory responses and pathogen-induced cytokine storm, its relevance to dengue requires further investigation.