Ahsen PEKTAS, Ilknur TUNC, Buse ASLAN, Nermin AKCALI, Lutfiye KARCIOGLU BATUR
The European Chemistry and Biotechnology Journal - 2026;3(6):27-34
This study aimed to investigate the correlation between vitamin D-binding protein (DBP) gene polymorphisms at rs4588 and rs7041 loci and the prevalence and mortality rates of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) up to 2022. In addition, the study sought to conduct a current situation analysis regarding vaccination among the populations of 10 countries, including Türkiye. The study examined the relationships between the COVID-19 prevalence and mortality rates and the frequencies of different genotypes according to rs7041 and rs4588 loci, which were collected from the literature. Total number of the COVID-19 cases and mortality rate because of SARS-CoV-2 infection before and after vaccination, and the vaccine data, including all types of vaccines, were collected from the World Health Organization coronavirus dashboard in 2022. The data from China, Japan, Nigeria, Kenya, Mexico, Italy, Türkiye, Finland, Germany, and Czechia was included. The mortality rates in China, Nigeria, Mexico, and Italy decreased significantly after the vaccination (P < 0.05), while the prevalence of COVID-19 after the vaccination was not affected in all the countries included (P > 0.05). It was observed that the higher the frequency of GG and GT genotypes of rs7041, the higher the prevalence of COVID-19 (P = 0.02 and P = 0.01, respectively), but only frequency of GT genotype was directly associated with increasing mortality rates in all countries during pre-vaccination period (P < 0.01). There was a significant inverse relationship between the frequency of TT genotype of rs7041 and the prevalence of COVID-19 (P = 0.02), but the relationship with mortality rate was not significant in all countries (P > 0.05). No significant correlation was found between the frequencies of AA, AC and CC genotypes of rs4588, and the COVID-19 prevalence and mortality rates in all countries (P > 0.05). Our findings suggest that the vaccination did not change the prevalence of COVID-19 but decreased mortality rates in four of the 10 countries studied. Significant correlations were observed in the frequencies of rs7041 single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) with the COVID-19 prevalence and mortality rates, while no correlation was observed in those of rs4588 SNP.
