Functional polymorphisms of the TLR7 and TLR8 genes contribute to Mycobacterium tuberculosis infection

Summary Tuberculosis (TB) has recently re-emerged as a major global public health threat and Mycobacterium tuberculosis ( MTB ) is a highly successful pathogen that evolved remarkable strategies to establish persistent infection. There is strong evidence that host genetic factors influence individual susceptibility to TB. In this study, we evaluated the associations between the TLR7 and TLR8 genetic polymorphisms and TB susceptibility in Chinese individuals. The results demonstrated that the frequency of the TLR8 -129C allele was higher in male patients with pulmonary TB than in healthy controls (22.9% vs. 6.8%, p