Association of interleukin-10 gene promoter polymorphisms with susceptibility to acute pyelonephritis in children.

Interleukin-10 (IL-10) is a potent inhibitor of leukocyte chemotaxis, bacterial killing in phagocytes and synthesis of pro-inflammatory cytokines and chemokines, and recent studies have suggested an important role for this immunoregulatory cytokine in the pathogenesis of urinary tract infections (UTIs). Therefore, the gene encoding IL-10 (IL10) is an attractive candidate for association studies attempting to identify susceptibility genes conferring risk of UTIs. In this case-control study, we aimed to investigate the association of single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in the promoter region of IL10 with acute pyelonephritis in the Slovak population.