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Infect. Immun., 01 1998, 176-180, Vol 66, No. 1
M Torres, T Herrera, H Villareal, EA Rich and E Sada
Patients with active tuberculosis (TB) have a stronger humoral but a poorer
cellular immune response to the secreted 30-kDa antigen (Ag) of
Mycobacterium tuberculosis than do healthy household contacts (HHC), who
presumably are more protected against disease. The basis for this
observation was studied by examining the Th1 (interleukin 2 [IL-2] and
gamma interferon [IFN-gamma])- and Th2 (IL-10 and IL-4)-type cytokines
produced in response to the 30-kDa Ag by peripheral blood mononuclear cells
(PBMC) from patients with active pulmonary TB (n = 7) and from HHC who were
tuberculin (purified protein derivative) skin test positive (n = 12).
Thirty-kilodalton-Ag-stimulated PBMC from TB patients produced
significantly lower levels of IFN-gamma (none detectable) than did those
from HHC (212 +/- 73 pg/ml, mean +/- standard error) (P < 0.001).
Likewise, 30-kDa-Ag-stimulated PBMC from TB patients failed to express
IFN-gamma mRNA by reverse transcription- PCR, whereas cells from HHC
expressed the IFN-gamma gene. In contrast, 30-kDa-Ag-stimulated PBMC from
TB patients produced significantly higher levels of IL-10 (403 +/- 80
pg/ml) than did those from HHC (187 +/- 66 pg/ml) (P < 0.013), although
cells from both groups expressed the IL-10 gene. IL-2 and IL-4 were not
consistently produced, and their genes were not expressed by
30-kDa-Ag-stimulated cells from either TB patients or HHC. After treatment
with antituberculous drugs, lymphocytes from four of the seven TB patients
proliferated and three of them expressed IFN-gamma mRNA in response to the
30-kDa Ag and produced decreased levels of IL-10.
Copyright © 1998, American Society for Microbiology
Cytokine profiles for peripheral blood lymphocytes from patients with active pulmonary tuberculosis and healthy household contacts in response to the 30-kilodalton antigen of Mycobacterium tuberculosis
Department of Microbiology, National Institute of Respiratory Diseases, Mexico D.F., Mexico.
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