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.
Scott
Cherise P
CP
Department of International Health, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, Maryland 21205, USA. chscott@jhsph.edu
Kumar
Nirbhay
N
Bishai
William R
WR
Manabe
Yukari C
YC
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*