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Alpha/Beta Interferon Impairs the Ability of Human Macrophages To Control Growth of Mycobacterium bovis BCG

Francine Bouchonnet, Neio Boechat, Marcel Bonay,^, and Allan J. Hance^*

INSERM U552, Faculté de Médecine Xavier Bichat, Paris, France

Received 9 November 2001/ Returned for modification 21 December 2001/ Accepted 11 March 2002

Administration of alpha/beta interferon (IFN-/ß) to mice infected with Mycobacterium tuberculosis has been shown to increase mycobacterial growth. Because IFN-/ß has direct pleiotropic effects on the differentiation and functional activities of macrophages, we evaluated the effect of IFN-/ß on mycobacterial growth in human monocytes/macrophages in vitro. Monocytes cultured at optimal cell density could control the growth of M. bovis BCG, as assessed both by measurement of luciferase activity expressed by a mycobacterial reporter strain and by counting of CFU. In contrast, unrestrained mycobacterial growth was observed when monocytes were treated with alpha interferon (IFN-) 3 days prior to or concomitant with infection. This striking loss of mycobacteriostatic activity was observed with IFN- and IFN-ß and was induced in both freshly isolated monocytes and culture-derived macrophages. Pretreatment of monocytes with IFN- modified cellular morphology and reduced viability following culture, but neither was observed for culture-derived macrophages, indicating that the effects of IFN- on mycobacteriostatic activity and cell differentiation and death could be dissociated. These results are compatible with the possibility that the secretion of IFN-/ß could directly promote mycobacterial growth in patients harboring these organisms.

Editor: S. H. E. Kaufmann

Present address: Service de Physiologie—Explorations Fonctionnelles, Hôpital Bichat—Claude Bernard, Paris, France.

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