Patients with Idiopathic Pulmonary Nontuberculous Mycobacterial Disease Have Normal Th1/Th2 Cytokine Responses but Diminished Th17 Cytokine and Enhanced Granulocyte-Macrophage Colony-Stimulating Factor Production

• Published in: Open forum infectious diseases Vol. 6; no. 12; p. ofz484
• Main Authors: Wu, Un-In, Olivier, Kenneth N, Kuhns, Douglas B, Fink, Danielle L, Sampaio, Elizabeth P, Zelazny, Adrian M, Shallom, Shamira J, Marciano, Beatriz E, Lionakis, Michail S, Holland, Steven M
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States Oxford University Press 01.12.2019
• Subjects: Editor's Choice; Major; nontuberculous mycobacteria; PNTM; cytokines; Th17; cystic fibrosis; primary ciliary dyskinesia
• ISSN: 2328-8957; 2328-8957
• DOI: 10.1093/ofid/ofz484

Although disseminated nontuberculous mycobacterial infection is attributed to defects in the interleukin (IL)-12/interferon-γ circuit, the immunophenotype of idiopathic pulmonary nontuberculous mycobacterial (PNTM) disease is not well defined. We phenotyped Th1, Th2, Th17, and Treg cytokines and colony-stimulating factor production from patients with idiopathic PNTM disease. Data were compared with healthy donors, cystic fibrosis (CF), and primary ciliary dyskinesia (PCD) patients with PNTM disease. Both supernatant cytokine production and intracellular cytokines expressed by various leukocyte subpopulations following mitogen and antigen stimulation were assayed by electrochemiluminescence-based multiplex immunoassay and flow cytometry, respectively. Regardless of antigen or mitogen stimulation, neither intracellular nor extracellular Th1, Th2, and Treg cytokine levels differed between patients and controls. Th17 cells and IL-17A levels were lower in idiopathic PNTM patients, whereas monocyte granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor (GM-CSF) expression in response to NTM stimulation was higher compared with healthy donors. Besides, distinct cytokine responses following stimulation by and were observed consistently within each group. The IL-12/IFN-γ circuit appeared intact in patients with idiopathic PNTM disease. However, idiopathic PNTM patients had reduced Th17 response and higher mycobacteria-induced monocyte GM-CSF expression.