Cytokine/chemokine profiles in people with recent infection by Mycobacterium tuberculosis

Front Immunol. 2023 May 16:14:1129398. doi: 10.3389/fimmu.2023.1129398. eCollection 2023.

Abstract

Introduction: The risk of progression to tuberculosis disease is highest within the first year after M. tuberculosis infection (TBI). We hypothesize that people with newly acquired TBI have a unique cytokine/chemokine profile that could be used as a potential biomarker.

Methods: We evaluated socio-demographic variables and 18 cytokines/chemokines in plasma samples from a cohort of people deprived of liberty (PDL) in two Colombian prisons: 47 people diagnosed with pulmonary TB, 24 with new TBI, and 47 non-infected individuals. We performed a multinomial regression to identify the immune parameters that differentiate the groups.

Results: The concentration of immune parameters changed over time and was affected by the time of incarceration. The concentration of sCD14, IL-18 and IP-10 differed between individuals with new TBI and short and long times of incarceration. Among people with short incarceration, high concentrations of MIP-3α were associated with a higher risk of a new TBI, and higher concentrations of Eotaxin were associated with a lower risk of a new TBI. Higher concentrations of sCD14 and TNF-α were associated with a higher risk of TB disease, and higher concentrations of IL-18 and MCP-1 were associated with a lower risk of TB disease.

Conclusions: There were cytokines/chemokines associated with new TBI and TB disease. However, the concentration of immune mediators varies by the time of incarceration among people with new TBI. Further studies should evaluate the changes of these and other cytokines/chemokines over time to understand the immune mechanisms across the spectrum of TB.

Keywords: Mycobacterium tuberculosis; TST conversion; chemokines; cytokines; tuberculosis; tuberculosis infection.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Cytokines
  • Humans
  • Interleukin-18
  • Lipopolysaccharide Receptors
  • Mycobacterium tuberculosis*
  • Tuberculosis*

Substances

  • Cytokines
  • Interleukin-18
  • Lipopolysaccharide Receptors

Grants and funding

This article (the design of the study, the collection, analysis, and interpretation of data) was funded by The Administrative Department of Science, Technology and Innovation (Colciencias), as part of the research project entitled “Host gene expression profile used to identify latent TB infection and the transition to active disease - Perfil de la expresión génica del hospedero para identificar tuberculosis latente y la transición a enfermedad activa”, grant number: 121071249878. And the project “Pro-inflammatory patterns of cytokine/chemokine associated with latent tuberculosis in people deprived of liberty (PDL),” grant number: 639B-06/16-55, funded by Universidad Pontificia Bolivariana. The Administrative Department of Science, Technology and Innovation (Colciencias), scholarship program #647 in Colombia, and Emerging Leaders of Americas Program, 2018, a scholarship from the Government of Canada support the Ph.D. student. This manuscript was also supported, in part, by the Canada Research Chairs Program for ZR. Award number: 950-232963.