Background: Hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection has become a global health burden because of its contagious mode of transmission and the resultant long-term liver damage.
Aim: To investigate how the polymorphisms of the IFN-γ gene, particularly the IFN-γ +874T/A (rs2430561) single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP), influence susceptibility to HBV infection.
Subjects and methods: Relevant articles were identified by a comprehensive literature search covering the following computerised bibliographic databases. Eleven independent case-control studies were ultimately selected for the current meta-analysis, comprising a total of 1527 HBV cases and 1467 healthy subjects.
Results: The results in the current meta-analysis showed that carriers of the IFN-γ A allele were more likely to develop HBV infection than those without in all five genetic models (all p < 0.05). According to the ethnicity-based sub-group analysis, a significant difference of the IFN-γ rs2430561 T > A polymorphism was detected associated with the increased risk of HBV infection in Asians and European-derived populations in the majority of the groups.
Conclusions: The results implicate a possible relationship between the IFN-γ rs2430561 T > A polymorphism and the risk of HBV infection. Therefore, IFN-γ genetic polymorphisms might be important in determining an individual's susceptibility to HBV infection.
Keywords: HBV infection; IFN-γ; genetic polymorphism; meta-analysis.