Many studies have linked cigarette smoke (CS) exposure and tuberculosis (TB) infection and disease although much fewer have studied second-hand smoke (SHS) exposure. Our goal is to review the epidemiologic link between SHS and TB as well as to summarize the effects SHS and direct CS on various immune cells relevant for TB. PubMed searches were performed using the key words “tuberculosis” with “cigarette,”“tobacco,” or “second-hand smoke.” The bibliography of relevant papers were examined for additional relevant publications. Relatively few studies associate SHS exposure with TB infection and active disease. Both SHS and direct CS can alter various components of host immunity resulting in increased vulnerability to TB. While the epidemiologic link of these 2 health maladies is robust, more definitive, mechanistic studies are required to prove that SHS and direct CS actually cause increased susceptibility to TB.
Mycobacterium tuberculosis ; Smoke* ; Smoking ; Tobacco Products ; Tobacco Smoke Pollution ; Tuberculosis*

Little is known of the lung cellular immunophenotypes in patients with non-tuberculous mycobacterial lung disease (NTM-LD). Flow-cytometric analyses for the major myeloid and lymphoid cell subsets were performed in less- and more-diseased areas of surgically resected lungs from six patients with NTM-LD and two with Pseudomonas aeruginosa lung disease (PsA-LD). Lymphocytes, comprised mainly of NK cells, CD4 + and CD8 + T cells, and B cells, accounted for ~60% of all leukocytes, with greater prevalence of T and B cells in morediseased areas. In contrast, fewer neutrophils were found with decreased number in morediseased areas. Compared to NTM-LD, lung tissues from patients with PsA-LD demonstrated relatively lower numbers of T and B lymphocytes but similar numbers of NK cells. While this study demonstrated a large influx of lymphocytes into the lungs of patients with chronic NTM-LD, further analyses of their phenotypes are necessary to determine the significance of these findings.