Evaluation of IFN-γ level in peripheral blood mononuclear cell of childhood tuberculosis treated by lactic acid bacteria multi cultures

At least a half million children in the world are suffering from TB every year and 64.000 children died from TB in 2011. Previous works indicated the ability of probiotic in stimulating the production of IL-12 and IFN-γ which subsequently increased the role of type Th1 responses and improved the balance of Th1-Th2. Antigen combination of Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb) and Lactic Acid Bacteria (LAB) initiated synergistic increase of IFN-γ bigger than the level induced by Mtb or LAB. This study aimed to analyze the administration effects of LAB multi cultures (Lactobacillus acidophilus, Lactobacillus bulgaricus, Lactobacillus casei, Bifidobacterium bifidum, Bifidobacterium animalis, Lactobacillus plantarum, Streptococcus thermophilus) to the secretion of IFN-γ on peripheral blood mononuclear cell (PBMC) culture supernatant of childhood tuberculosis patients under medication. The PBMC of the patients isolated from whole blood was culture-treated in 4 groups: (1) without treatment (-MtbCell, -LAB), (2) incubation with Mtb, without LAB administration (+MtbCell, -LAB), (3) with LAB administration, without incubation with Mtb(- MtbCell, +LAB), and (4) incubation with Mtb and LAB administration (+MtbCell, +LAB), to subsequently be taken the supernatant and to examine IFN-γ by using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. There was a significant difference in IFN-γ assay (p = 0.006) between group (1) compared to the group (4). Addition of the LAB multi cultures increased the secretion of IFN-γ supernatant on the PBMC culture supernatant of childhood tuberculosis patients under medication. The LAB increased 6.31% of IFN-γ level, while treatment with LAB and Mtb increased IFN-γ level up to 15.79% compared to IFN- γ level in the PBMC without treatment.