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Updated: Jun 3, 2026

Characterization of Immune Cells and Proinflammatory Mediators in the Pulmonary Environment
Published on: June 24, 2020
Role of innate cytokines in mycobacterial infection
A M Cooper1, K D Mayer-Barber, A Sher
1Trudeau Institute, Saranac Lake, New York, USA. acooper@trudeauinstitute.org
Abstract:
Cells of the innate immune system produce cytokines and lipid mediators that strongly influence the outcome of mycobacterial infection. In the case of Mycobacterium tuberculosis, the lung is a critical site for this interaction. Here, we review current information on the role of the major innate cytokine pathways both in controlling initial infection as well as in promoting and maintaining adaptive T-cell responses that mediate host resistance or immunopathology. Understanding this important feature of the host-pathogen interaction can provide major insights into the mechanisms of virulence and can lead to new approaches for immunological intervention in tuberculosis and other mycobacterial diseases.
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