Diagnostic performance of GM-CSF and IL-2 in response to long-term specific-antigen cell stimulation in patients with active and latent tuberculosis infection.
GM-CSF and its receptor are over-expressed during acute M. tuberculosis infection and we asked how GM-CSF neutralization might affect host response, both in immunocompetent and in immunocompromised TNFα-deficient mice.
Our data demonstrate that BCG-prime and DNA vaccine expressing Ag85A and GM-CSF boost provides a rational strategy for further development of DNA vaccine against M. tuberculosis infection.