Abstract

The critical role of peptide antigen-specific T cells in the control of mycobacterial infections both in animal models and humans is widely established. However, other nonconventional T cells with ability to recognize and respond to lipid antigens such as NKT cells via CD1 antigen presentation have been shown to contribute significantly to the immune response against many infections. The lipidic nature of the mycobacterial cell envelope has engaged many researchers to study both the dynamics and the role of NKT cells during an active infection. Investigations performed mostly on animal models have demonstrated great phenotypic versatility of NKT cells suggesting great capabilities at the time to mounting an effective response against this pathogen. However, more investigation is needed to establish the real performance of NKT cells in humans.