The Role of Interferon-Gamma and Interferon-Gamma Receptor in Tuberculosis and Nontuberculous Mycobacterial Infections

Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb) and nontuberculous mycobacteria (NTM) remain the leading causes of lung disease and mortality worldwide. Interferon-gamma (IFN-gamma) and its receptor (IFN-gamma R) play a key role in mediating immunity against Mtb and NTM. This study was conducted as a systematic review; all information was collected from databases such as: PubMed, Scopus, Medline, SID, and medical databases. Finally, all the collected data were reviewed, and all content was categorized briefly. There is growing evidence that IFN-gamma plays an important role in host defense against these two intracellular pathogens by activating macrophages. In addition, IFN-gamma has been shown to be an integral part of various antibacterial methods such as granuloma formation and phagosome-lysosome fusion, both of which lead to the death of intracellular Mycobacterium. As a result, its absence is associated with overgrowth of intracellular pathogens and disease caused by Mtb or Mycobacterium nontuberculosis. We also look at the role of IFN-gamma R in Mtb or NTM because IFN-gamma acts through IFN-gamma R. Finally, we introduce new approaches to the treatment of M. tuberculosis complex (MTC) and NTM disease, such as cell and gene-based therapies that work by modulating IFN-gamma and IFN-gamma R.