title: Effect of active tuberculosis on skin prick allergy tests and serum IgE levels.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Mycobacterium tuberculosis has been shown to suppress allergic airway disease driven by type 2 helper T cells in animal models. In this study, we investigated the effect of active tuberculosis on skin prick test (SPT) positivity and serum immunoglobulin (Ig) E levels of atopic patients with and without tuberculosis infection.
  
  
  METHODS
  Seventeen atopic HIV-negative men with pulmonary tuberculosis and 18 atopic healthy male controls at our military hospital were studied prospectively between March 2005 and March 2006. The sums of all SPT positive tests and positivity to house dust mite alone were calculated before initiation of treatment and after 6 months. Measurement of total serum IgE levels was also performed at the same moments.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The mean (SD) initial serum total IgE concentrations were significantly higher in the tuberculosis patients than in the healthy controls (324.1 [317.67] U/mL vs. 146.7 [75.29] U/mL, respectively; P < .05), The total serum IgE concentrations after 6 months of treatment were also higher in the patients than in the controls. The mean sum of SPT positivity was higher in the tuberculosis patients than in the controls at both testing times.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Our study does not support the hypothesis that M tuberculosis suppresses atopy and atopic disorders, but large, prospective experimental studies are needed before excluding the possibility of a relationship.
authors.affiliation: Department of Allergy, Gulhane Military Medical Academy, Haydarpasa Teaching Hospital, Istanbul, Turkey. kotiloglu@hotmail.com
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Kutlu
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Bozkanat
authors.forename: Fi
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Ciftçi
authors.forename: B
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Bozkurt
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Gorur
authors.forename: N
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Ardiç
authors.forename: O
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Taskapan
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D006801:Humans; D006969:Hypersensitivity, Immediate / Q000150:complications / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000276:immunology*; D007073:Immunoglobulin E / Q000097:blood*; D008297:Male; D009169:Mycobacterium tuberculosis; D011446:Prospective Studies; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity; D012882:Skin Tests; D018418:Th2 Cells / Q000276:immunology / Q000378:metabolism; D013997:Time Factors; D014397:Tuberculosis, Pulmonary / Q000097:blood / Q000150:complications / Q000276:immunology*
chemical_list: D007073:Immunoglobulin E