| Summary: | Tuberculosis (TB) is an airborne infection caused by Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb). About one-third of the world’s population
is latently infected with TB and 5–15% of them will develop active TB in their lifetime. It is estimated that each case of active TB may
cause 10–20 new infections. Host immune response to Mtb is influenced by interferon- (IFN-) signaling pathways, particularly by
type I and type II interferons (IFNs). The latter that consists of IFN-γ has been associated with the promotion of Th1 immune
response which is associated with protection against TB. Although this aspect remains controversial at present due to the lack of
established correlates of protection, currently, there are different prophylactic, diagnostic, and immunotherapeutic approaches in
which IFNs play an important role. This review summarizes the main aspects related with the biology of IFNs, mainly
associated with TB, as well as presents the main applications of these cytokines related to prophylaxis, diagnosis, and
immunotherapy of TB.
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