[Immunological changes in old-age group children with primary and secondary tuberculous infection].

In modern society, there is a rise in the incidence of tuberculosis in all age groups, including children and adolescents. In old age group, a specific inflammation is detectable from Mantoux test results only in every four children. Tuberculous infection is diagnosed in half of cases when they turn to physicians for complains. Disseminated and complicated forms of tuberculosis are more frequently identified in these situations. The immune system has a particular emphasis on the course and outcome of the disease. The authors have established that caseous masses actively form, followed by the stimulation of the adequate cell pathway promoting the limitation of specific inflammation in old-age group children with primary tuberculosis. In secondary forms of tuberculous infection, there is an increase in the level of monocytes where the persistence and multiplication of the causative microorganism, as well as the activation of the humoral pathway inadequate for tuberculous infection are likely to occur, i.e. the infectious agent may be inhibited until activation of the Th-2 pathway of an immune response takes place.

[Predictors of the progress of latent tuberculosis to clinically active one].

The question recently arises as to the diagnosis of tuberculous infection at early stages of its development. Tuberculin diagnosis ranks below due to the rise ofcomorbidity, including allergic diseases. There is increasing evidence for the leading role in the development of this or that type of tuberculous infection. A mathematical model was used to identify 5 major of the 35 laboratory parameters characterizing the immune profile. The equations of classifying discriminant functions derived by the chosen immunological parameters make it possible to formalize data strictly and to organize an immunological screening with a high degree of accuracy in children with unchanged tuberculin sensitivity, without making compound statistical calculations. This fact can meet the requirements of immunological prediction of the development of tuberculosis in children.