Short report: modulation of Mycobacterium tuberculosis infection by Plasmodium in the murine model.
A large proportion of people with latent tuberculosis live in malaria-endemic areas, so co-infection with these two organisms is likely to be common. To determine whether there might be a biologic interaction between these two pathogens in vivo, we infected mice with Mycobacterium tuberculosis and then with a non-lethal strain of Plasmodium yoelii eight weeks later. Mice chronically infected with M. tuberculosis simulate the equilibrium between pathogen and host thought to exist in human latent infection. Co-infected mice were less able to contain growth of M. tuberculosis in lung, spleen, and liver (mean +/- SEM log10 colony-forming units = 5.50 +/- 0.11 versus 5.12 +/- 0.08, 4.58 +/- 0.07 versus 4.13 +/- 0.10, and 2.86 +/- 0.10 versus 2.49 +/- 0.10, respectively) and had increased mortality. In populations where both diseases are endemic, there may be implications for increased incidence of clinically detectable tuberculosis.
Department of International Health, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, Maryland 21205, USA. chscott@jhsph.edu
Cherise P
CP
Scott
Nirbhay
N
Kumar
William R
WR
Bishai
Yukari C
YC
Manabe
D000818:Animals; D015169:Colony Count, Microbial; D005260:Female; D008099:Liver / Q000382:microbiology / Q000473:pathology; D008168:Lung / Q000382:microbiology / Q000473:pathology; D008288:Malaria / Q000150:complications*; D051379:Mice; D008810:Mice, Inbred C57BL; D009169:Mycobacterium tuberculosis / Q000254:growth & development / Q000472:pathogenicity*; D010967:Plasmodium yoelii / Q000502:physiology*; D013154:Spleen / Q000382:microbiology / Q000473:pathology; D014376:Tuberculosis / Q000150:complications*