To explore this issue in black South African RA patients, systemic concentrations of bacterial LPS and LPS-binding protein (LBP) were measured as indicators of endotoxaemia, while surfactant protein D (SP-D) and intestinal fatty acid-binding protein (I-FABP) were included as possible biomarkers of leakage from the lungs and GIT, respectively. The gene discussed is SFTPD; the disease is rheumatoid arthritis.