Levels of anti-cytokine antibodies may be elevated in patients with pulmonary disease associated with non-tuberculous mycobacteria.
Pulmonary disease due to non-tuberculous mycobacteria (NTM) is caused by several species (particularly Mycobacterium avium, Mycobacterium intracellulare) that are abundant in the environment. Th1 cytokines such as interferon (IFN)-γ are important in the control of mycobacteria, but in vitro production of IFN-γ is not deficient in adult patients with pulmonary NTM disease. Antibodies reactive with IFN-γ have been described in patients with disseminated NTM disease, but it is not clear whether they are common in pulmonary disease. Here we show that patients with pulmonary NTM have a higher level of anti-IFN-γ and anti-GM-CSF antibodies than healthy controls, although some controls also have high levels. Levels of anti-IFN-γ antibodies did not correlate with levels of total immunoglobulin. Longitudinal studies are required to determine whether anti-cytokine autoantibodies are consequence rather than a cause of pulmonary NTM disease.
['Kim|Kyungchul|K|', 'Waterer|Grant|G|', 'Thomson|Rachel|R|', 'Yang|Ian A|IA|', 'Nashi|Najla|N|', 'Tan|Dino B A|DB|', 'Price|Patricia|P|']
D000328:Adult D000368:Aged D000369:Aged, 80 and over D000906:Antibodies D001323:Autoantibodies D005260:Female D016178:Granulocyte-Macrophage Colony-Stimulating Factor D006801:Humans D007074:Immunoglobulin G D007371:Interferon-gamma D008171:Lung Diseases D008297:Male D008875:Middle Aged D009165:Mycobacterium Infections, Nontuberculous D009170:Nontuberculous Mycobacteria
Pulmonary disease Non-tuberculous mycobacteria Cytokine Autoantibody Interferon-γ