@inbook{ca3b291ed9564745890102208823560c,
title = "The role of B cells and humoral immunity in mycobacterium Tuberculosis infection",
abstract = "Tuberculosis (TB) remains a serious threat to public health, causing 2 million deaths annually world-wide. The control of TB has been hindered by the requirement of long duration of treatment involving multiple chemotherapeutic agents, the increased susceptibility to Mycobacterium Tuberculosis infection in the HIV-infected population, and the development of multi-drug resistant and extensively resistant strains of tubercle bacilli. An efficacious and cost-efficient way to control TB is the development of effective anti-TB vaccines. This measure requires thorough understanding of the immune response to M. Tuberculosis. While the role of cell-mediated immunity in the development of protective immune response to the tubercle bacillus has been well established, the role of B cells in this process is not clearly understood. Emerging evidence suggests that B cells and humoral immunity can modulate the immune response to various intracellular pathogens, including M. Tuberculosis. These lymphocytes form conspicuous aggregates in the lungs of tuberculous humans, non-human primates, and mice, which display features of germinal center B cells. In murine TB, it has been shown that B cells can regulate the level of granulomatous reaction, cytokine production, and the T cell response. This chapter discusses the potential mechanisms by which specific functions of B cells and humoral immunity can shape the immune response to intracellular pathogens in general, and to M. Tuberculosis in particular. Knowledge of the B cell-mediated immune response to M. Tuberculosis may lead to the design of novel strategies, including the development of effective vaccines, to better control TB.",
keywords = "Antibodies, Antigen presentation, B cells, Cytokine production, Cytokines, Fcc receptors, Granuloma, Humoral immunity, Immunopathology, Macrophages, Myocobacterium Tuberculosis, Neutrophils, T cell responses",
author = "Lee Kozakiewicz and Jiayao Phuah and Joanne Flynn and John Chan",
note = "Funding Information: This work was supported by NIH Grants R01 AI094745, R01 AI098925, R01 AI50732, R01 HL106804, P01 AI063537, P30 AI051519 (The Einstein/Montefiore Center for AIDS Research), and T32 AI070117 (The Einstein Geographic Medicine and Emerging Infections Training Grant) and the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. We thank the members of the Chan and Flynn laboratories for helpful discussion.",
year = "2013",
doi = "10.1007/978-1-4614-6111-1_12",
language = "English (US)",
isbn = "9781461461104",
series = "Advances in Experimental Medicine and Biology",
publisher = "Springer New York LLC",
pages = "225--250",
booktitle = "The New Paradigm of Immunity to Tuberculosis",
}