in Susceptibility to Infections: A Review and Meta-Analysis of Genetic Association Studies

Toll-like receptor 4 plays a role in pathogen recognition, and common polymorphisms may alter host susceptibility to infectious diseases. ) with infectious diseases.We searched PubMed and EMBASE up to March 2013 for pertinent literature in English, and complemented search with references lists of eligible studies. genotype frequencies; 59 studies fulfilled these criteria and were analyzed.Two authors independently extracted study data. tonsillar disease (0.42; 95%CI 0.17-1.00). The majority of significant associations were among predominantly Asian populations and significant associations were rare among European populations.Depending on the type of infection and population, TLR4 polymorphisms are associated with increased, decreased or no difference in infectious disease. This may be due to differential functional expression of TLR4, the co-segregation of TLR4 variants or a favorable inflammatory response