title: Production of interleukin-18 in human tuberculosis.
abstract: To investigate the role of interleukin (IL)-18 in human tuberculosis, IL-18 production was evaluated in blood and at the site of disease in patients with tuberculosis. Mycobacterium tuberculosis-stimulated peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) from tuberculosis patients secreted less IL-18 and interferon-gamma (IFN-gamma) than did PBMC from healthy persons reactive to tuberculin. M. tuberculosis-induced IFN-gamma production was inhibited by anti-IL-18 and enhanced by recombinant IL-18. Alveolar macrophages secreted IL-18 in response to M. tuberculosis, and IL-18 and IFN-gamma concentrations were higher in pleural fluid of patients with tuberculosis than in pleural fluid of patients with nontuberculous diseases. These findings demonstrate that IL-18 production by PBMC correlates with IFN-gamma production and effective immunity to tuberculosis, suggesting that IL-18 contributes to a protective type 1 cytokine response in persons with mycobacterial infection.
authors.affiliation: Center for Pulmonary and Infectious Disease Control, University of Texas Health Center, Tyler, TX 75708-3154, USA. rvankaya@uthct.edu
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Vankayalapati
authors.forename: B
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Wizel
authors.forename: S E
authors.initials: SE
authors.lastname: Weis
authors.forename: B
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Samten
authors.forename: W M
authors.initials: WM
authors.lastname: Girard
authors.forename: P F
authors.initials: PF
authors.lastname: Barnes
mesh_terms: D006801:Humans; D066298:In Vitro Techniques; D007371:Interferon-gamma / Q000378:metabolism; D020382:Interleukin-18 / Q000096:biosynthesis*; D007376:Interleukin-2 / Q000378:metabolism; D007963:Leukocytes, Mononuclear / Q000378:metabolism / Q000382:microbiology*; D016676:Macrophages, Alveolar / Q000378:metabolism; D009169:Mycobacterium tuberculosis / Q000276:immunology* / Q000502:physiology; D014376:Tuberculosis / Q000276:immunology*
chemical_list: D020382:Interleukin-18; D007376:Interleukin-2; D007371:Interferon-gamma