Urban airborne particle exposure impairs human lung and blood<i>Mycobacterium tuberculosis</i>immunity

Abstract

Inhalation exposure to urban air pollution PM impairs important components of the protective human lung and systemic immune response against <i>M. tuberculosis</i>. PM load in AM is correlated with altered <i>M. tuberculosis</i>-induced cytokine production in the lung and systemic compartments. Chronic PM exposure with high constitutive expression of proinflammatory cytokines results in relative cellular unresponsiveness.