Interferon-γ Stimulation Fails to Restrict Mycobacterium tuberculosis Growth in Human Monocyte-Derived and Alveolar Macrophages.

Fernandez, Mark C; Peterson, Glenna J; Le, Chris; Skerrett, Shawn J; Hawn, Thomas R · J Infect Dis · 2025

basic_science · Level V

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Abstract

We examined whether interferon-γ (IFNG) restricts Mycobacterium tuberculosis growth in human macrophages across a range of conditions and methods. We observed an IFNG-dependent enhancement of bacterial replication in macrophage colony-stimulating factor-differentiated monocyte-derived macrophages (4.84 × 105 colony-forming units [CFU] IFNG stimulated vs 2.48 × 105 CFU untreated, P < .001) with 4 M. tuberculosis strains. M. tuberculosis replication was not restricted by IFNG treatment of alveolar macrophages. In agreement with previous studies, IFNG-stimulated murine bone marrow-derived macrophages effectively restricted M. tuberculosis replication. These data suggest that M. tuberculosis resists IFNG-stimulated immunity within human macrophages with implications for distinct host species immune responses.

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