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1: Science. 1997 Jan 3;275(5296):77-9.
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The inverse association between tuberculin responses and atopic disorder.

Shirakawa T, Enomoto T, Shimazu S, Hopkin JM.

Lung Research Laboratory, Osler Chest Unit, Churchill Hospital, Oxford OX3 7LJ, UK. jhopkin@immsvr.jr2.ox.ac.uk

Human immune responses are heterogeneous and may involve antagonism between T helper (TH) lymphocyte subsets and their cytokines. Atopy is characterized by immediate immunoglobulin E (IgE)-mediated hypersensitivity to agents such as dust mites and pollen, and it underlies the increasingly prevalent disorder asthma. Among Japanese schoolchildren, there was a strong inverse association between delayed hypersensitivity to Mycobacterium tuberculosis and atopy. Positive tuberculin responses predicted a lower incidence of asthma, lower serum IgE levels, and cytokine profiles biased toward TH1 type. Exposure and response to M. tuberculosis may, by modification of immune profiles, inhibit atopic disorder.

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PMID: 8974396 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]