A 64-year-old man visits the clinic after experiencing many weeks of continuous coughing, fever, and weight loss. He smokes a pack of cigarettes every day and consumes 10 to 12 beers on weekends. An infiltration in the left upper lobe is shown by a chest x-ray. Despite receiving broad-spectrum antibiotic therapy for both aspiration and community-acquired pneumonia, the patient's symptoms deteriorate. The Gram stain on sputum does not indicate any microbes. The following picture depicts the results of a lung biopsy: Which of the following substances is most important for driving the development of this patient's observed microscopic lesion?

Question

A 64-year-old man visits the clinic after experiencing many weeks of continuous coughing, fever, and weight loss. He smokes a pack of cigarettes every day and consumes 10 to 12 beers on weekends. An infiltration in the left upper lobe is shown by a chest x-ray. Despite receiving broad-spectrum antibiotic therapy for both aspiration and community-acquired pneumonia, the patient's symptoms deteriorate. The Gram stain on sputum does not indicate any microbes. The following picture depicts the results of a lung biopsy:  Which of the following substances is most important for driving the development of this patient's observed microscopic lesion?

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

Eductional Objective: T helper subtype 1 cells produce interferon-gamma, which activates macrophages and aids in the control of Mycobacterium TB infection. Activated macrophages produce mature phagolysosomes, which kill phagocytosed mycobacteria. They can also develop into epithelioid and Langhans giant cells, which wall off extracellular mycobacteria within caseating granulomas.

A 64-Year-Old Man Visits the Clinic After Experiencing Many Weeks