The potential role of lung epithelial cells and beta-defensins in experimental latent tuberculosis.
Scand J Immunol
; 67(5): 448-52, 2008 May.
Article
em En
| MEDLINE
| ID: mdl-18363594
ABSTRACT
Mycobacterium tuberculosis is a facultative intracellular pathogen capable of producing both progressive disease and latent infection. Latent infection is clinically asymptomatic and is manifested only by a positive tuberculin test or a chest radiograph that shows scars or calcified nodules indicative of resolved primary tuberculosis infection. In this study, we used a well-characterized model of latent tuberculosis infection in B6D2F1 mice to compare the production of beta-defensin-3 by infected bronchial epithelial cells and macrophages. We demonstrated by immunolectronmicroscopy that M. tuberculosis can actually infect epithelial cells and induce significant higher production of beta-defensin-3 associated to mycobacteria than infected macrophages. These results demonstrate that lung epithelium harbour mycobacteria during experimental chronic infection; being a possible reservoir of latent mycobacteria in vivo, beta-defensins might participate in bacilli killing or dormancy induction.
Texto completo:
1
Coleções:
01-internacional
Base de dados:
MEDLINE
Assunto principal:
Tuberculose Pulmonar
/
Brônquios
/
Beta-Defensinas
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Células Epiteliais
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Mycobacterium tuberculosis
Limite:
Animals
Idioma:
En
Ano de publicação:
2008
Tipo de documento:
Article