Polymorphisms of innate immunity genes influence disease progression in HIV-1-infected children.

Toll-like receptors (TLRs) and defensins (DEFs) play a crucial role in the host's innate immunity and may influence HIV-1 disease progression. We investigated the impact of TLR9 + 1174G>A, 1635A>G and DEF beta 1 - 44C>G, -52G>A single nucleotide polymorphisms on the clinical outcome of 95 HIV-1-infected children. The TLR9 1635AG genotype and TLR9 [G;G] haplotype were associated with rapid disease progression, whereas the DEF beta 1 -44CG genotype and DEF beta 1 [G;G] haplotype correlated with a better clinical outcome