CD14 −159C/T Polymorphism Contributes to the Susceptibility to Tuberculosis: Evidence from Pooled 1,700 Cases and 1,816 Controls

CD14 is a receptor for lipopolysaccharide and plays an important role in innate immune against infections induced by microorganisms. A functional polymorphism in promoter region of CD14 gene, −159C/T, was extensively investigated with tuberculosis (TB) risk, but the association results were inconclusive. We performed a meta-analysis to synthesize association results of CD14 −159C/T polymorphism with TB risk from 8 studies including 1,700 TB cases and 1,816 controls. Based on the heterogeneity between studies evaluated by χ2-based Q test, a fixed- or random-effect model was applied to estimate the pooled odds ratio (OR) and 95 % confidence interval (CI). Potential publication bias was evaluated with the funnel plot as well as the linear regression asymmetry test proposed by Egger et al. We found that the −159T allele was significantly associated with an increased risk of TB (OR 1.27, 95 % CI 1.01–1.61) as compared with −159C allele. Individuals with −159TT genotype showed a significantly increased risk of TB than those with −159CT/CC genotype (OR 1.52, 95 % CI 1.11–2.08). These associations were not attributed to potential publication bias (P > 0.05 for Egger’s test). The results from this meta-analysis indicate that CD14 −159C/T polymorphism is associated with TB predisposition and may serve as a candidate of susceptibility biomarker for TB.