A systematic review and meta-analysis of killer-cell immunoglobulin-like receptor (KIR) family genes association with risk of hepatitis B virus (HBV)

Several studies have evaluated the association of killer cell immunoglobulin-like receptor (KIR) genes and susceptibility risk to hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection but the results are not conclusive and incongruous. Therefore, we designed a systematic review and meta-analysis of case-control studies for clear understanding of association between KIR family genes and HBV susceptibility. A systematic literature search was conducted in the main electronic databases of Scopus, MEDLINE, and ISI Web of Science prior to January 2021. Pooled odds ratio (OR) and their corresponding 95% CI were used to evaluate the strength of the association between KIR family genes and the risk of HBV infection. Overall, 12 studies, containing 2323 HBV subjects and 1319 controls, were included in the meta-analysis. It was detected that KIR2DL2 (P = 0.032, OR = 0.071, CI = 0.52–0.97) and KIR2DS3 (P = 0.003, OR = 1.29, CI = 1.09–1.53) genes were significantly associated with decreased and increased risk of HBV infection in the overall population, respectively. In the subgroup analysis, KIR2DS2 (P = 0.046, OR = 3.17, CI = 1.01–9.88) and KIR2DS3 (P = 0.004, OR = 1.31, CI = 1.08–1.57) genes were significantly associated with increased risk of HBV infection in Asians. This meta-analysis provides an understanding that KIR family genes are associated with susceptibility to HBV infection in the overall population and Asians. •The KIR2DL2 gene was associated with decreased risk of HBV infection in the overall population.•The KIR2DS3 gene was associated with increased risk of HBV infection in the overall population•KIR2DS2 and KIR2DS3 genes were associated with increased risk of HBV infection in Asians.