Abstract

HERRERA BARRIOS, María Teresa; TORRES ROJAS, Martha; JUAREZ CARVAJAL, Esmeralda  and  SADA DIAZ, Eduardo. Molecular mechanisms of the immune response in human pulmonary tuberculosis. Rev. Inst. Nal. Enf. Resp. Mex. [online]. 2005, vol.18, n.4, pp.327-336. ISSN 0187-7585.

Human pulmonary tuberculosis is an infectious disease caused by M. tuberculosis; the protective immune response plays a central role in the control and progression of this disease. The immune response includes the participation of alveolar macrophages, lymphocytes (subsets CD4+, CD8+, NK and yδ) and cytokine production such as IL-2, IFN-γ, IL-12, IL-18 and TNF-α. Moreover, chemokines like RANTES, MCP-1, MIP-lα and IL-8 play an important role in the chemotaxis of different cell populations at the infection site for the formation of granulomas. This paper provides an overview of the immune mechanisms involved in the cellular immune response in human pulmonary tuberculosis

Keywords : Pulmonary tuberculosis; Mycobacterium tuberculosis; immune response; cytokines; chemokines; interferon-γ; interleukin-1 2; T lymphocytes.