Increased levels of circulating interleukin-18 in patients with advanced tuberculosis.
Interleukin-18 (IL-18) has recently been identified as an interferon- gamma-inducing factor and it plays an important role in the Th1 response. We measured serum levels of IL-18 and interferon-gamma (IFN-gamma) in 43 patients with pulmonary tuberculosis and 25 healthy control subjects. Significantly increased levels of circulating IL-18 and IFN-gamma were found in pulmonary tuberculosis as compared with those in healthy control subjects. Circulating IL-18 and IFN-gamma correlated with the extent of disease in pulmonary tuberculosis. We found significantly increased levels of circulating IL-18 and IFN-gamma in the patients with high-grade fever. Circulating IL-18 significantly correlated with circulating IFN-gamma. IL-18 may play an important role in immune response to human infection with Mycobacterium tuberculosis.
Yamada
G
G
Third Department of Internal Medicine, Sapporo Medical University School of Medicine, Sapporo, Japan.
Shijubo
N
N
Shigehara
K
K
Okamura
H
H
Kurimoto
M
M
Abe
S
S
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007371:Interferon-gamma / Q000097:blood*; D020382:Interleukin-18 / Q000097:blood*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009169:Mycobacterium tuberculosis / Q000276:immunology; D012016:Reference Values; D014397:Tuberculosis, Pulmonary / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000276:immunology*
D020382:Interleukin-18; D007371:Interferon-gamma