A new study from the University of Pittsburgh Center for Vaccine Research published today in the Journal of Experimental Medicine describes a previously unappreciated role for a class of immune cells in the early stages of tuberculosis (TB) infection.
The researchers found that innate CD8+ lymphocytes – a subtype of white blood cells involved in rapid immune response – are essential for curbing the disease. They also discovered that an inflammatory molecule called Interleukin-15, or IL-15, plays an important role in infection control and could potentially be used to boost the efficacy of existing and future TB vaccines.
Tuberculosis, or TB, is an airborne lung disease caused by a bacterium called Mycobacterium tuberculosis. After entering the lung, these bacteria bury deep into the tissue and begin to spread, causing the body to launch an immune response and build up clumps of immune cells surrounding the bacteria, called granulomas, in an effort to control the infection and minimize damage to the lungs.
Related StoriesUsing a technique called bacterium barcoding, researchers tracked the lineages of bacterial granulomas that formed over the course of the disease. In animals lacking innate CD8+ cells, researchers identified more bacterial dissemination across lungs and lymph nodes, suggesting that innate CD8+ cells create a "bottleneck," preventing bacteria from establishing active infection.
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