IL-17 and antigen-specific IL-17 responses in distinct subsets of patients with pulmonary sarcoidosis

Sarcoidosis is an inflammatory disorder characterized by granulomas most commonly affecting the lungs. Sarcoidosis patients with Löfgren's syndrome (erythema nodosum and/or ankle arthritis, fever and bilateral hilar lymphadenopathy with or without lung parenchymal infiltration) have a good prognosis, particularly if they are HLA-DR3+. The presence of mycobacterial antigens, and recently a specific protein, M. tuberculosis catalase-peroxidase (mKatG), in sarcoidosis tissue has been reported. Th1 cell responses against mKatG have previously been observed in sarcoidosis. In the present study our aim was to investig…