The tuberculosis is one of the diseases related with cellular immune reaction. Recently natural killer cells (NK cells) are highlighted as one of the calls related to immune surveillance. In odor to observe the relationship between tuberculosis and NK cell activity, authors studied natural killer cell mediated cytotoxicity (NKMC) in adult patients with active pulmonary tuberculosis (n=44) and healthy controls (n=11). The patients were divided into three groups according to the extent of disease, i.e., minimal (n=15), moderatly advanced (n=16) and far advanced pulmonary tuberculosis (n= 13). Standard 51Cr release assay was used for the assessment of NKMC between K562 cell line (target cells) and nonadherent peripheral blood mononuclear cells obtained from patients (effector cells).
The results were as follows :
1) In healthy controls, the mean NKMC was 42±7.1% in effector/target cell, 50：1 and 21±4.0% in 25：1.
2) In active pulmonary tuberculosis patients, the mean NKMC was 23±4.7% in effector/target cell, 50：1 and 17±3.9% in 25：1.
3) The meats NKMC of active pulmonary tuberculosis patients was significantly lower than that of controls in 50：1 and 25：1.
4) There was no signigicant difference in the mean values of NKMC among the minimal, moderatly advanced and far advanced pulmonary tuberculosis patients in 50：1 and 25：1.
Depressed NKMC in tuberculosis patients suggests that NK cell is related to the cellular immune reaction of tuberculosis. It is not clear whether depressed NKMC in tuberculosis patients is directly related to cell mediated immune reaction in tuberculosis or seguela, and further study is necessary to understand our results.
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