Systematic review and meta-analytic findings on the association between killer-cell immunoglobulin-like receptor genes and susceptibility to pulmonary tuberculosis.

Several studies have evaluated the association between killer-cell immunoglobulin-like receptors (KIR) genes and susceptibility risk to tuberculosis (TB) infection. Nonetheless, their outcomes have not been conclusive and consistent. Here we implemented a systematic review and meta-analysis of KIR genes association to susceptibility risk of pulmonary TB (PTB) infection to attain a clear understanding of the involvement of these genes in susceptibility to PTB infection. A systematic search was conducted in the MEDLINE/PubMed and Scopus databases to find case-control studies published before November 2020. Pooled odds ratio (OR) and 95% confidence interval (95% CI) were calculated to determine the association between KIR genes and risk of PTB infection. After comprehensive searching and implementing the inclusion and exclusion criteria, 10 case-control studies were included in the meta-analysis. Four KIR genes were found to have significant positive association with PTB susceptibility risk of infection, including (OR = 1.454, 95% CI = 1.157-1.827; = 0.001), (OR = 1.481, 95% CI = 1.334-1.837; < 0.001), (OR = 1.782, 95% CI = 1.273-2.495; = 0.001) and (OR = 1.726, 95% CI = 1.277-2.333; < 0.001). However, the results showed that the remaining KIR genes () and two pseudogenes ( and ) did not have significant associations with risk of PTB infection. This meta-analysis provides reliable evidence that the KIR genes , and may be associated with an increased risk of PTB infection.