Association between Cytokine Gene Polymorphisms and Risk for Upper Respiratory Tract Infection and Acute Otitis Media

• Published in: Clinical infectious diseases 2009-07, Vol.49 (2), p.257-261
• Main Authors: Revai, Krystal, Patel, Janak A., Grady, James J., Nair, Sangeeta, Matalon, Reuben, Chonmaitree, Tasnee
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Articles and Commentaries; Bacterial diseases; Biological and medical sciences; Child, Preschool; Children; Childrens health; Cytokines; Day care; Disease Susceptibility; Ear diseases; Ear, auditive nerve, cochleovestibular tract, facial nerve: diseases, semeiology; Ent and stomatologic bacterial diseases; Female; Genes; Genetic polymorphism; Genotypes; Human bacterial diseases; Humans; Infant; Infectious diseases; Interleukin-6 - genetics; Male; Medical sciences; Molecular Sequence Data; Non tumoral diseases; Otitis; Otitis media; Otitis Media - epidemiology; Otitis Media - immunology; Otorhinolaryngology. Stomatology; Pediatrics; Polymorphism; Polymorphism, Genetic; Promoter Regions, Genetic; Prospective Studies; Respiratory diseases; Respiratory tract infections; Respiratory Tract Infections - epidemiology; Respiratory Tract Infections - immunology; Risk factors; Sequence Analysis, DNA; Studies; Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha - genetics; Tumor necrosis factors
• ISSN: 1058-4838; 1537-6591
• DOI: 10.1086/599833

Background. We previously reported an association between tumor necrosis factor a (TNFα)⁻³⁰ɸ and interleukin (IL)-6⁻¹⁷⁴ polymorphisms and otitis susceptibility by history. Acute otitis media occurs most commonly as a complication of upper respiratory tract infection (URI); it is not clear why some children develop acute otitis media after URI and others do not. Our objective was to prospectively evaluate the association of TNFα⁻³⁰ɸ and IL-6⁻¹⁷⁴ polymorphisms with URI and with acute otitis media development after URI. Methods. Children aged 6-35 months were prospectively followed for occurrences of URI and acute otitis media. Blood or buccal mucosa samples were collected for DNA extraction to determine cytokine genotypes. Active and passive surveillance was used to capture all URI episodes during the 1-year follow-up period in order to study the rate of acute otitis media following URI. Data were analyzed using SAS software (SAS Institute) and general estimating equations modeling. Results. Two hundred forty-two children were followed over 2689 patient-months and had DNA genotyped; 1235 URI episodes occurred, and 392 (32%) were complicated by acute otitis media. Children who had IL-6⁻¹⁷⁴ polymorphism had a higher susceptibility to URI during the study period (incidence density ratio, 1.24) and were more likely to meet established otitis susceptibility criteria (P