CD8 ⁺ T Cells Provide an Immunologic Signature of Tuberculosis in Young Children

Abstract

Among young children, M. tuberculosis-specific CD8(+) T cells develop in response to high bacillary loads, as occurs during tuberculosis, and are unlikely to be found after M. tuberculosis exposure. T-cell responses measured in peripheral blood mononuclear cells are generated after M. tuberculosis exposure alone, and thus cannot distinguish exposure from disease. In young children, IFN-γ-producing M. tuberculosis-specific CD8(+) T cells provide an immunologic signature of primary M. tuberculosis infection resulting in disease.