title: The role of B cells and humoral immunity in Mycobacterium tuberculosis infection.
abstract: Tuberculosis (TB) remains a serious threat to public health, causing 2 million deaths annually world-wide. The control of TB has been hindered by the requirement of long duration of treatment involving multiple chemotherapeutic agents, the increased susceptibility to Mycobacterium tuberculosis infection in the HIV-infected population, and the development of multi-drug resistant and extensively resistant strains of tubercle bacilli. An efficacious and cost-efficient way to control TB is the development of effective anti-TB vaccines. This measure requires thorough understanding of the immune response to M. tuberculosis. While the role of cell-mediated immunity in the development of protective immune response to the tubercle bacillus has been well established, the role of B cells in this process is not clearly understood. Emerging evidence suggests that B cells and humoral immunity can modulate the immune response to various intracellular pathogens, including M. tuberculosis. These lymphocytes form conspicuous aggregates in the lungs of tuberculous humans, non-human primates, and mice, which display features of germinal center B cells. In murine TB, it has been shown that B cells can regulate the level of granulomatous reaction, cytokine production, and the T cell response. This chapter discusses the potential mechanisms by which specific functions of B cells and humoral immunity can shape the immune response to intracellular pathogens in general, and to M. tuberculosis in particular. Knowledge of the B cell-mediated immune response to M. tuberculosis may lead to the design of novel strategies, including the development of effective vaccines, to better control TB.
authors.affiliation: Department of Medicine and Microbiology and Immunology, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Bronx, NY, USA.
authors.forename: Lee
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Kozakiewicz
authors.forename: Jiayao
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Phuah
authors.forename: Joanne
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Flynn
authors.forename: John
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Chan
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000907:Antibodies, Bacterial / Q000096:biosynthesis / Q000276:immunology*; D000938:Antigen-Presenting Cells / Q000276:immunology; D016175:B-Lymphocyte Subsets / Q000276:immunology*; D018858:Germinal Center / Q000276:immunology; D006801:Humans; D007111:Immunity, Cellular; D055985:Latent Tuberculosis / Q000276:immunology; D008213:Lymphocyte Activation; D008211:Lymphocyte Cooperation; D008222:Lymphokines / Q000096:biosynthesis / Q000276:immunology; D008264:Macrophages / Q000276:immunology / Q000382:microbiology; D051379:Mice; D018448:Models, Immunological; D009169:Mycobacterium tuberculosis / Q000276:immunology*; D011323:Primates; D017452:Receptors, IgG / Q000276:immunology; D013045:Species Specificity; D016176:T-Lymphocyte Subsets / Q000276:immunology; D014375:Tuberculoma / Q000276:immunology / Q000473:pathology; D014376:Tuberculosis / Q000276:immunology*; D032581:Tuberculosis Vaccines / Q000276:immunology
chemical_list: D000907:Antibodies, Bacterial; D008222:Lymphokines; D017452:Receptors, IgG; D032581:Tuberculosis Vaccines