title: Importance of reciprocal balance of T cell immunity in Mycobacterium abscessus complex lung disease.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Little is known about the nature of the host immune response to Mycobacterium abscessus complex (MABC) infection. The aim of the present study was to investigate whether alterations in serum immunomolecule levels after treating MABC lung disease patients with antibiotics can reflect the disease-associated characteristics.
  
  
  METHODS
  A total of 22 immunomolecules in 24 MABC lung disease patients before and after antibiotic therapy were quantitatively analyzed using a multiplex bead-based system.
  
  
  RESULTS
  In general, the pre-treatment levels of T helper type 1 (Th1)-related cytokines, i.e., interferon (IFN)-γ and interleukin (IL)-12, and Th2-related cytokines, i.e., IL-4 and IL-13, were significantly decreased in patients compared with control subjects. In contrast, the pre-treatment levels of Th17-related cytokines, i.e., IL-17 and IL-23, were significantly increased in MABC patients. Interestingly, significantly higher levels of IFN-γ-induced protein (IP)-10 and monokine induced by IFN-γ protein (MIG) were detected in patients with failure of sputum conversion at post-treatment compared to patients with successful sputum conversion.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Reduced Th1 and Th2 responses and enhanced Th17 responses in patients may perpetuate MABC lung disease, and the immunomolecules IP-10 and MIG, induced through IFN-γ, may serve as key markers for indicating the treatment outcome.
authors.affiliation: Division of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine, Department of Medicine, Samsung Medical Center, Sungkyunkwan University School of Medicine, Seoul, South Korea.
authors.forename: Su-Young
authors.initials: SY
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.affiliation: Division of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine, Department of Medicine, Samsung Medical Center, Sungkyunkwan University School of Medicine, Seoul, South Korea.
authors.forename: Won-Jung
authors.initials: WJ
authors.lastname: Koh
authors.affiliation: Division of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine, Department of Medicine, Samsung Medical Center, Sungkyunkwan University School of Medicine, Seoul, South Korea.
authors.forename: Yee Hyung
authors.initials: YH
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.affiliation: Division of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine, Department of Medicine, Samsung Medical Center, Sungkyunkwan University School of Medicine, Seoul, South Korea.
authors.forename: Byeong-Ho
authors.initials: BH
authors.lastname: Jeong
authors.affiliation: Division of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine, Department of Medicine, Samsung Medical Center, Sungkyunkwan University School of Medicine, Seoul, South Korea.
authors.forename: Hye Yun
authors.initials: HY
authors.lastname: Park
authors.affiliation: Division of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine, Department of Medicine, Samsung Medical Center, Sungkyunkwan University School of Medicine, Seoul, South Korea.
authors.forename: Kyeongman
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Jeon
authors.affiliation: Department of Microbiology, Institute of Immunology and Immunological Diseases, Brain Korea 21 PLUS Project for Medical Science, Yonsei University College of Medicine, Seoul, South Korea.
authors.forename: Jong-Seok
authors.initials: JS
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.affiliation: Department of Microbiology, Institute of Immunology and Immunological Diseases, Brain Korea 21 PLUS Project for Medical Science, Yonsei University College of Medicine, Seoul, South Korea.
authors.forename: Sang-Nae
authors.initials: SN
authors.lastname: Cho
authors.affiliation: Department of Microbiology, Institute of Immunology and Immunological Diseases, Brain Korea 21 PLUS Project for Medical Science, Yonsei University College of Medicine, Seoul, South Korea.
authors.forename: Sung Jae
authors.initials: SJ
authors.lastname: Shin
mesh_terms: D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents / Q000494:pharmacology / Q000627:therapeutic use; D016207:Cytokines / Q000097:blood; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008171:Lung Diseases / Q000097:blood / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000276:immunology*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009165:Mycobacterium Infections, Nontuberculous / Q000097:blood / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000276:immunology*; D009170:Nontuberculous Mycobacteria / Q000502:physiology*; D013601:T-Lymphocytes / Q000166:cytology* / Q000187:drug effects / Q000276:immunology*
chemical_list: D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents; D016207:Cytokines