Association of a TLR7 variant with spontaneous clearance of hepatitis B virus infection in Caucasians

Background Toll-like receptor 7 (TLR7) is a major part of the innate immune system generating immune responses against hepatitis B virus (HBV). Recently, TLR7 activation has been shown a promising target for the treatment of chronic hepatitis B. However, polymorphisms within the TLR7 gene might alter immune responses and therapy efficiency. Therefore, we investigated the impact of the TLR7 polymorphisms rs179008, rs864058 and rs2302267 on the course of HBV infection.