Associations of P2X7 Polymorphisms with the Odds of Tuberculosis: A Meta-Analysis.

Background: Recently, the roles of purinergic receptor P2X ligand-gated ion channel 7 (P2X7) polymorphisms in tuberculosis (TB) were analyzed by some pilot studies, but the results of these studies were inconsistent. We performed this study to better assess the relationship between P2X7 polymorphisms and the odds of TB.

Methods: Eligible studies were searched in PubMed, MEDLINE, and Embase. Odds ratios and 95% confidence intervals were calculated.

Results: A total of 21 studies were included for analyses. Significant associations with the odds of TB were detected for rs3751143 polymorphism in dominant (p = 0.01), recessive (p < 0.0001), additive (p = 0.0002), and allele models (p < 0.0001) in overall analyses. Further subgroup analyses based on the ethnicity of participants revealed that the rs1718119 polymorphism is significantly associated with the odds of TB in Asians and the rs3751143 polymorphism with the odds of TB in Caucasians.

Conclusion: Our findings indicate that rs1718119 polymorphism may serve as a potential biological marker of TB in Asians and the rs3751143 polymorphism as a potential biological marker of TB in Caucasians.