Analysis of Th1, Th17 and regulatory T cells in tuberculosis case contacts

• Published in: Cellular immunology Vol. 289; no. 1-2; pp. 167 - 173
• Main Authors: García Jacobo, R.E., Serrano, C.J., Enciso Moreno, J.A., Gaspar Ramírez, O., Trujillo Ochoa, J.L., Uresti Rivera, E.E., Portales Pérez, D.P., González-Amaro, R., García Hernández, M.H.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Netherlands Elsevier Inc 01.05.2014
• Subjects: Adult; CD4 Antigens - blood; CTLA-4 Antigen - blood; Female; Forkhead Transcription Factors - blood; Humans; Immune response; Interferon-gamma - immunology; Interferon-gamma Release Tests; Latent Tuberculosis - diagnosis; Latent Tuberculosis - immunology; Latent Tuberculosis - microbiology; Male; Mycobacteria; Mycobacterium tuberculosis - immunology; T lymphocytes; T-Lymphocytes, Regulatory - immunology; TB spectrum; Th1 Cells - immunology; Th17 Cells - immunology; Tuberculosis case contacts; IGRAs; PBS; T lymphocytes; Immune response; PPD; Mycobacteria; Treg; TB spectrum; PBMC; TB; Tuberculosis case contacts; IFN-γ; TST; MTB; CTLA-4; Foxp3; Th1; QFT
• ISSN: 0008-8749; 1090-2163
• DOI: 10.1016/j.cellimm.2014.03.010

•IGRA test identified persistently positive and negative TB case contacts.•Individuals persistently positive showed increased levels of CD4+ Th1 and Th17 cells.•Subjects persistently positive showed augmented levels of regulatory T cells.•Subjects persistently positive contain immune responses counter-balanced.•A characteristic immune status within the immune spectrum of latent tuberculosis TB. We have hypothesized that individuals infected with Mycobacteriumtuberculosis that exhibit different patterns of immune reactivity in serial interferon (IFN)-γ release assays (IGRA’s) correspond to different status within the immune spectrum of latent tuberculosis (TB). Accordingly, we analyzed the possible association between the consistent results (negative or positive) in an IGRA test and relevant immune parameters, mainly the levels of Th1 and Th17 lymphocytes and T regulatory (Treg) cells in the peripheral blood of TB case contacts. We found that individuals with a persistently positive IGRA showed increased levels of Th1 and Th17 lymphocytes upon in vitro stimulation with MTB antigens. In addition, a significant increase in the proportion of CD4+CTLA-4+ and CD4+Foxp3+ cells was detected in assays with blood samples from these individuals. Our data support that different immune phenotypes can be identified into the spectrum of latent TB, by combining different parameters of immune reactivity against MTB.