Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb) has killed nearly 1000 million people since the XIX century. And although an affordable and effective treatment is available to fight this pathogen, tuberculosis (TB), together with COVID19 in 2020-2021, is the leading cause of death from a single infectious agent. The immune response against Mtb is highly complex.
Mtb invades human by air and establishes infection in lung by using a large number of different virulence factors. After infection, Mtb interacts with different cells of the innate
and adaptive immune compartments. These cells play an important role in the modulation and the development of the pathology. An efficient host protection against Mtb infection
is associated with the induction, activation and proliferation of Th1 cells However, IFN-? alone is not sufficient for the complete eradication of the bacteria, suggesting that other
cytokines might be required for pathogen removal. Accordingly, cellular responses to Mtb induce IL-17 production, contributing to granuloma formation and control of bacterial growth. However, excessive IL-17 levels exacerbate inflammation, increasing neutrophil recruitment and tissue damage. Despite the great strides made in the characterization of the acquired cellular response in TB patients, it remains to be elucidated what exactly
constitutes a protective response or leads to disease pathology. Furthermore, how Mtb is able to evade host immune surveillance and persist is not fully elucidated yet.
This Research Topic, therefore, welcomes the submission of Research Articles and Reviews focused on understanding how the host immune system fights Mtb. Those may include all aspects of in vitro and in vivo research. In particular, in this Research Topic, we welcome articles related to the following sub-themes:
1. Subsets of cells that participate in the host defense against Mtb infection.
2. Evasion of host immune responses: mechanisms used by Mtb to survive inside macrophages.
3. Cellular and molecular pathways that control the pathogenesis of Mtb infection.
4. Cellular and immunological mechanisms involved in the host response against Mtb infection.
5. New approaches to prevent and diagnose Mtb infection.
Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb) has killed nearly 1000 million people since the XIX century. And although an affordable and effective treatment is available to fight this pathogen, tuberculosis (TB), together with COVID19 in 2020-2021, is the leading cause of death from a single infectious agent. The immune response against Mtb is highly complex.
Mtb invades human by air and establishes infection in lung by using a large number of different virulence factors. After infection, Mtb interacts with different cells of the innate
and adaptive immune compartments. These cells play an important role in the modulation and the development of the pathology. An efficient host protection against Mtb infection
is associated with the induction, activation and proliferation of Th1 cells However, IFN-? alone is not sufficient for the complete eradication of the bacteria, suggesting that other
cytokines might be required for pathogen removal. Accordingly, cellular responses to Mtb induce IL-17 production, contributing to granuloma formation and control of bacterial growth. However, excessive IL-17 levels exacerbate inflammation, increasing neutrophil recruitment and tissue damage. Despite the great strides made in the characterization of the acquired cellular response in TB patients, it remains to be elucidated what exactly
constitutes a protective response or leads to disease pathology. Furthermore, how Mtb is able to evade host immune surveillance and persist is not fully elucidated yet.
This Research Topic, therefore, welcomes the submission of Research Articles and Reviews focused on understanding how the host immune system fights Mtb. Those may include all aspects of in vitro and in vivo research. In particular, in this Research Topic, we welcome articles related to the following sub-themes:
1. Subsets of cells that participate in the host defense against Mtb infection.
2. Evasion of host immune responses: mechanisms used by Mtb to survive inside macrophages.
3. Cellular and molecular pathways that control the pathogenesis of Mtb infection.
4. Cellular and immunological mechanisms involved in the host response against Mtb infection.
5. New approaches to prevent and diagnose Mtb infection.