The role of B cells and humoral immunity in Mycobacterium tuberculosis infection

Adv Exp Med Biol. 2013:783:225-50. doi: 10.1007/978-1-4614-6111-1_12.

Abstract

Tuberculosis (TB) remains a serious threat to public health, causing 2 million deaths annually world-wide. The control of TB has been hindered by the requirement of long duration of treatment involving multiple chemotherapeutic agents, the increased susceptibility to Mycobacterium tuberculosis infection in the HIV-infected population, and the development of multi-drug resistant and extensively resistant strains of tubercle bacilli. An efficacious and cost-efficient way to control TB is the development of effective anti-TB vaccines. This measure requires thorough understanding of the immune response to M. tuberculosis. While the role of cell-mediated immunity in the development of protective immune response to the tubercle bacillus has been well established, the role of B cells in this process is not clearly understood. Emerging evidence suggests that B cells and humoral immunity can modulate the immune response to various intracellular pathogens, including M. tuberculosis. These lymphocytes form conspicuous aggregates in the lungs of tuberculous humans, non-human primates, and mice, which display features of germinal center B cells. In murine TB, it has been shown that B cells can regulate the level of granulomatous reaction, cytokine production, and the T cell response. This chapter discusses the potential mechanisms by which specific functions of B cells and humoral immunity can shape the immune response to intracellular pathogens in general, and to M. tuberculosis in particular. Knowledge of the B cell-mediated immune response to M. tuberculosis may lead to the design of novel strategies, including the development of effective vaccines, to better control TB.

Publication types

  • Research Support, N.I.H., Extramural
  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't
  • Review

MeSH terms

  • Animals
  • Antibodies, Bacterial / biosynthesis
  • Antibodies, Bacterial / immunology*
  • Antigen-Presenting Cells / immunology
  • B-Lymphocyte Subsets / immunology*
  • Germinal Center / immunology
  • Humans
  • Immunity, Cellular
  • Latent Tuberculosis / immunology
  • Lymphocyte Activation
  • Lymphocyte Cooperation
  • Lymphokines / biosynthesis
  • Lymphokines / immunology
  • Macrophages / immunology
  • Macrophages / microbiology
  • Mice
  • Models, Immunological
  • Mycobacterium tuberculosis / immunology*
  • Primates
  • Receptors, IgG / immunology
  • Species Specificity
  • T-Lymphocyte Subsets / immunology
  • Tuberculoma / immunology
  • Tuberculoma / pathology
  • Tuberculosis / immunology*
  • Tuberculosis Vaccines / immunology

Substances

  • Antibodies, Bacterial
  • Lymphokines
  • Receptors, IgG
  • Tuberculosis Vaccines