Pulmonary tuberculosis: evaluation of interferon-gamma levels as an immunological healing marker based on the response to the Bacillus Calmette-Guerin.
Tuberculosis (TB) is a disease caused by Mycobacterium tuberculosis whose interaction with the host may lead to a cell-mediated protective immune response. The presence of interferon gamma (IFN-gamma) is related to this response. With the purpose of understanding the immunological mechanisms involved in this protection, the lymphoproliferative response, IFN-gamma and other cytokines like interleukin (IL-5, IL-10), and tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-alpha) were evaluated before and after the use of anti-TB drugs on 30 patients with active TB disease, 24 healthy household contacts of active TB patients, with positive purified protein derivative (PPD) skin tests (induration > 10 mm), and 34 asymptomatic individuals with negative PPD skin test results (induration < 5 mm). The positive lymphoproliferative response among peripheral blood mononuclear cells of patients showed high levels of IFN-gamma, TNF-alpha, and IL-10. No significant levels of IL-5 were detected. After treatment with rifampicina, isoniazida, and pirazinamida, only the levels of IFN-gamma increased significantly (p < 0.01). These results highlight the need for further evaluation of IFN-gamma production as a healing prognostic of patients treated.
Moura
E P
EP
Departamento de Análises Clínicas e Toxicológicas, Faculdade de Farmácia, Brasil.
Toledo
V P C P
VP
Oliveira
M H P
MH
Spíndola-de-Miranda
S
S
Andrade
H M
HM
Guimarães
T M P D
TM
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000995:Antitubercular Agents / Q000276:immunology / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D001500:BCG Vaccine / Q000276:immunology*; D015415:Biomarkers; D016207:Cytokines / Q000096:biosynthesis / Q000097:blood*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007371:Interferon-gamma / Q000097:blood; D016753:Interleukin-10 / Q000097:blood; D015848:Interleukin-5 / Q000097:blood; D007963:Leukocytes, Mononuclear / Q000276:immunology*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D014397:Tuberculosis, Pulmonary / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000276:immunology*; D014409:Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha / Q000032:analysis
D000995:Antitubercular Agents; D001500:BCG Vaccine; D015415:Biomarkers; D016207:Cytokines; D015848:Interleukin-5; D014409:Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha; D016753:Interleukin-10; D007371:Interferon-gamma