Macrophage release of tumor necrosis factor-alpha by Mycobacterium avium antigens.

Mycobacterium avium complex (MAC) infection is the most common disseminated opportunistic infection encountered in patients with AIDS. We have studied the ability of specific Mycobacterium avium (MA) antigen to stimulate human monocyte-derived macrophages (MDM) to produce tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha). MDM stimulated with MA sonicate, MA 68 kDa and MA 48-52 kDa antigens were found to produce TNF-alpha in a dose-dependent manner. Reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction analysis of mRNA extracts from antigen-stimulated MDM indicated that TNF-alpha mRNA expression was of brief duration and the time point of peak TNF-alpha mRNA levels was found to be antigen-specific. A significant difference in TNF-alpha production in response to MA 48-52 kDa antigen and M. bovis 65 kDa antigen was observed between MDM from normal and HIV positive individuals.