Related Experiment Video
Updated: Aug 11, 2026
Inducing Meningococcal Meningitis Serogroup C in Mice via Intracisternal Delivery
Published on: November 5, 2019
Polymorphisms in the interleukin-1 gene cluster in children and young adults with systemic meningococcemia
Georg Endler1, Rodrig Marculescu, Philipp Starkl
1Department of General Pediatrics, Medical University of Graz, Graz, Austria.
Background:
An association has been described between mortality in children with meningococcal disease and functional polymorphisms in the interleukin-1 (IL1) cluster. We undertook a multicenter study to evaluate associations of these polymorphisms in a Central European population.
Patients And Methods:
The study involved 95 Middle European pediatric hospitals. We collected blood samples from, and clinical information about, 285 previously healthy children with meningococcal infection. We used a newly developed multiplexed mutagenic separated PCR assay to analyze 6 polymorphisms within the IL1 cluster: IL1A (-889)C/T, IL1A (+4845)G/T, IL1B (-511)C/T, IL1B (-31)C/T, IL1B (+3954), and IL1RA (+2018)C/T. We studied the same polymorphisms in a comparison group of 481 healthy newborns.
Results:
Genotype frequencies between patients and the comparison group differed significantly only for the IL1RA (+2018)C/T variant: The CC genotype was more frequent in patients (11%) than in healthy controls (5%; P = 0.008). In the patient group, the C allele was significantly more prevalent (67%) in nonsurvivors than in survivors (42%; P = 0.02).
Conclusion:
The IL1RA (+2018)C/T polymorphism is associated with the risk of meningococcal disease and with its outcome.
Related Concept Videos
01:22Bacterial Meningitis I: Introduction
01:24Bacterial Meningitis