Protective immunity against tuberculosis (TB) requires the integrated response of a network of lymphocytes. Both gamma interferon (IFN-γ)- and interleukin 17 (IL-17)-secreting CD4(+) T cells have been identified in subjects with latent TB infection and during experimental Mycobacterium tuberculosis infection, but the contribution of Th17 cells to protective immunity is unclear. To examine their...

Increased susceptibility to tuberculosis following HIV-1 seroconversion contributes significantly to the tuberculosis epidemic in sub-Saharan Africa. Lung-specific mechanisms underlying the interaction between HIV-1 and Mycobacterium tuberculosis infection are incompletely understood. Here we address these questions by examining the effect of HIV-1 and latent M. tuberculosis co-infection on the...

A sustained CD4+ Th1-dominated type 1 immune response is required to successfully control Mycobacterium tuberculosis infection. Considerable work has demonstrated that the transcription factor, T-bet, is required for IFN-gamma expression and fundamental to the generation of type 1 immunity in multiple cell types. Mice lacking T-bet are susceptible to virulent M. tuberculosis infection. Suscepti...

1. Mycobacterium tuberculosis and the liver stage of Plasmodium falciparum are intracellular pathogens which are potentially susceptible to cytotoxic T-lymphocytes, a crucial component of the protective immune response to viral infections. Evidence from animal models points to a protective role for cytotoxic T-lymphocytes against M. tuberculosis and P. falciparum, but cytotoxic T-lymphocytes sp...

promoter polymorphism of cytokine genes may lead to inter-individual differences in cytokine levels, therefore, polymorphisms may associate with susceptibility to infectious diseases. in this study, we investigated a possible association between interleukin-10 (il-10) -1082a⁄g (rs1800896) and interferon (ifn)-gamma +874t/a (rs2430561) promoter polymorphisms and tuberculosis (tb) in the azeri po...

The T-SPOT.TB test does not cross-react with Bacille Calmette-Guérin or most non-tuberculosis mycobacterium species, and is based on IFN-gamma responses to Mycobacterium tuberculosis-specific antigens. The objective of this study was to compare tuberculin skin test (TST) with T-SPOT.TB results used in the diagnosis of active tuberculosis (TB) as well as latent tuberculosis infection (LTBI). A t...

Tuberculosis is a major cause of death in much of the world. Current estimates are that one-third of the world's population is infected with Mycobacterium tuberculosis. Most infected persons control the infection but in many cases may not eliminate the organism. Reactivation of this clinically latent infection is responsible for a large proportion of active tuberculosis cases. A major risk fact...

CD4+ T cells producing interferon-γ are crucial for protection against Mycobacterium tuberculosis infection and are the cornerstone of tuberculosis vaccination and immunological diagnostic assays. Since emerging evidence indicates that B cells can modulate T cell responses to M. tuberculosis infection, we investigated the contribution of B cells in regulating interferon-γ recall response by mem...

TNF is crucial for controlling Mycobacterium tuberculosis infection and understanding how will help immunomodulating the host response. Here we assessed the contribution of TNFR1 pathway from innate myeloid versus T cells. We first established the prominent role of TNFR1 in haematopoietic cells for controlling M. tuberculosis in TNFR1 KO chimera mice. Further, absence of TNFR1 specifically on m...

MHC class I-restricted CD8(+) T cells are necessary to mount an immune response against Mycobacterium tuberculosis. M. tuberculosis antigens can enter MHC class I cross-processing pathways through a number of different mechanisms, including via the uptake of antigen-containing apoptotic vesicles released by infected cells. A study in this issue of the JCI by Hinchey and colleagues shows that M....