Adjuvant interferon-γ treatment in two cases of refractory tuberculosis of the brain.
Tuberculosis (TB) of the brain is often refractory and has the highest morbidity and mortality among the mycobacterial infections. A recent report suggests that interferon-γ may be of help since it can modulate the host inflammatory response against mycobacteria in the brain. Here, we report on a 44-year-old woman with multiple tuberculomas in the brainstem and a 40-year-old man with two large TB abscesses in the brain, both of whom had no response to anti-TB medications for 5 and 7 months, respectively, but with near-complete resolution with adjuvant interferon-γ therapy (50 μg/m(2), subcutaneously, three times per week). Our cases show that refractory brain TB in immunocompetent patients can be successfully treated with adjuvant interferon-γ therapy, without any significant side effects.
Department of Neurology, Seoul National University-Seoul Metropolitan Boramae Medical Center, Seoul National University College of Medicine, Republic of Korea.
Jee-Young
JY
Lee
Jae-Joon
JJ
Yim
Byung-Woo
BW
Yoon
D000328:Adult; D000995:Antitubercular Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use; D001921:Brain / Q000473:pathology; D024881:Drug Resistance, Bacterial; D005260:Female; D006261:Headache / Q000209:etiology; D006801:Humans; D007371:Interferon-gamma / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D008297:Male; D009169:Mycobacterium tuberculosis / Q000187:drug effects; D020306:Tuberculosis, Central Nervous System / Q000134:cerebrospinal fluid / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000382:microbiology; D014390:Tuberculosis, Meningeal / Q000134:cerebrospinal fluid / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000382:microbiology; D014786:Vision Disorders / Q000209:etiology
D000995:Antitubercular Agents; D007371:Interferon-gamma