The Immune Escape Mechanisms of Mycobacterium Tuberculosis

Epidemiological data from the Center of Disease Control (CDC) and the World Health Organization (WHO) statistics in 2017 show that 10.0 million people around the world became sick with tuberculosis. Mycobacterium tuberculosis (MTB) is an intracellular parasite that mainly attacks macrophages and inhibits their apoptosis. It can become a long-term infection in humans, causing a series of pathological changes and clinical manifestations. In this review, we summarize innate immunity including the inhibition of antioxidants, the maturation and acidification of phagolysosomes and especially the apoptosis and autophagy of macrophages. Besides, we also elaborate on the adaptive immune response and the formation of granulomas. A thorough understanding of these escape mechanisms is of major importance for the prevention, diagnosis and treatment of tuberculosis.