Pulmonary tuberculosis and tuberculous meningitis

The bacterium Mycobacterium tuberculosis, the causative agent of tuberculosis, is primarily a respiratory pathogen, but it can also spread to other organs, including the brain and meninges, causing tuberculous meningitis. What are the immunological mechanisms that lead to differential localization of infection? Here, researchers characterized antibody profiles across blood and brain compartments during tuberculous meningitis, and determined whether Mycobacterium tuberculosis-specific humoral immune responses differed between pulmonary tuberculosis and tuberculous meningitis. In people with tuberculous meningitis, the researchers identified specific cerebrospinal fluid antibody profiles that marked a unique, compartmentalized humoral response against Mycobacterium tuberculosis.