Rs1914663 of SFTPA 1 gene is associated with pediatric tuberculosis in Han Chinese population

•We choose Chinese Han children for investigating the susceptibility to tuberculosis;•rs1914663 are associated with pediatric TB;•TC + TT genotype of rs1914663 was obviously higher in PTB and non-severe TB than control group;•The haplotype comprising rs17881720-A and rs17879335-G was a resistance factor while the haplotype comprising rs1914663-T and rs1059225-G was found to be a susceptibility factor to TB.

Surfactant protein A (SP-A), a part of the innate immune system of the lung, performs a vital role in the host defense against Mycobacterium tuberculosis (MTB) infection. In order to investigate the relationship between SFTPA polymorphism variations and Tuberculosis (TB) in a Chinese pediatric group, we conducted a case–control study using single-nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) analysis. Significant difference of the allelic distribution of rs1914663 in SFTPA gene was observed between TB group and control group and, T allele of rs1914663 was associated with increased risk for TB (control vs. TB, OR: 1.42, 95% CI: 1.10–1.81, P = 0.005). In addition, the TC + TT genotype of rs1914663 was higher in PTB and non-severe TB than that in controls. The haplotype comprising rs17881720-A and rs17879335-G was a resistance factor while the haplotype comprising rs1914663-T and rs1059225-G was found to be a susceptibility factor to TB. Using a case–control study, we identified a genetic polymorphism in the SFTPA that regulates host susceptibility to pediatric TB in the Han Chinese population.