Acquired defects confer susceptibility to mycobacteria infection

Main Category: Immune System / Vaccines
Article Date: 27 Aug 2005 - 5:00 PDT

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in the interferon gamma receptor gene. In a study appearing online on August 25 in advance of print publication of the September 1 issue of the Journal of Clinical Investigation, Beate Kampmann and colleagues from Imperial College report a syndrome of disseminated mycobacterial infection caused not by genetic defect in the type 1 cytokine pathways, but instead by an acquired defect mediated by autoantibodies against interferon gamma.

These autoantibodies produce the same phenotype as seen in the genetically determined defect in the interferon gamma response pathway. Identification of the mechanisms responsible for susceptibility to mycobacteria in these patients has important implications for our understanding of immunity to tuberculosis and other mycobacteria.

TITLE:Acquired predisposition to mycobacterial disease due to auto-antibodies to IFN gamma.

AUTHOR: Beate Kampmann
Imperial College, London, Great Britain
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Stacie Bloom
press_releases@the-jci.org
212-342-4159
Journal of Clinical Investigation
http://www.jci.org

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