title: Prophylactic potential of defensins and L-isoleucine in tuberculosis household contacts: an experimental model.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Patients with pulmonary tuberculosis (TB) are the most important source for TB infection, being the risk of infection determined by the source case infectiousness and the contact closeness. Currently, the administration of isoniazid is used to prevent the infection to some extent in household contacts. At experimental level, defensins are efficient molecules for the treatment of TB and other infectious diseases.
  
  
  METHODS
  In this work, we used a model of Mycobacterium tuberculosis transmission by long cohabitation of infected and noninfected mice, and treated the latter group with antimicrobial peptides in order to determine the potential capacity of defensins to prevent the infection.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Our results showed that the intratracheal administration of human neutrophil peptide-1, human β-defensin-2 alone or in combination and the use of L-isoleucine significantly prevents bacterial transmission, diminishing pulmonary lesions and bacterial loads.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Data suggest the potential use of L-isoleucine as prophylactic for TB household contacts.
authors: Unidad de Investigación Médica-Zacatecas, Mexican Institute for Social Security, México.
authors: Bruno
authors: B
authors: Rivas-Santiago
authors: Cesar
authors: C
authors: Rivas-Santiago
authors: Eduardo
authors: E
authors: Sada
authors: Rogelio
authors: R
authors: Hernández-Pando
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D004338:Drug Combinations; D005191:Family Characteristics; D006801:Humans; D007442:Intubation, Intratracheal; D007532:Isoleucine / Q000008:administration & dosage* / Q000009:adverse effects; D008297:Male; D051379:Mice; D008807:Mice, Inbred BALB C; D009169:Mycobacterium tuberculosis / Q000276:immunology* / Q000472:pathogenicity; D014397:Tuberculosis, Pulmonary / Q000276:immunology / Q000517:prevention & control* / Q000635:transmission; D023084:alpha-Defensins / Q000008:administration & dosage* / Q000009:adverse effects; D023083:beta-Defensins / Q000008:administration & dosage* / Q000009:adverse effects
chemical_list: C106641:DEFB4A protein, human; D004338:Drug Combinations; D023084:alpha-Defensins; D023083:beta-Defensins; C406564:defensin NP-1; D007532:Isoleucine
keywords: L-isoleucine; Mycobacterium tuberculosis; antimicrobial peptides; defensins; household contact tuberculosis; prophylactic