Serum immunoglobulins in pulmonary tuberculosis in Ibadan Nigeria

Abstract
Compared with their healthy counterparts, Nigerian patients suffering from active pulmonary tuberculosis are found to show considerable increase in their serum IgG, IgA and IgM concentrations, the increase in the IgA being the most striking. This increase in the three immunoglobulins may be attributed to the multiplicity of antigens in the tubercle bacillus. The predominant increase in the IgA could be due to increased productions in the IgA synthesising cells in the lung in response to the tubercle bacillus.