Can treatment outcomes of latent TB infection and TB in silicosis be improved?

Occupational exposure to silica dust (respirable crystalline silica) leading to the development of silicosis still occurs in many parts of the world, including countries such as South Africa, Turkey, China and Sri Lanka. Immune dysfunction (or dysregulation), through involvement of host macrophages and lymphocytes alongside their elaborated cytokines, resulting in exaggerated humoral response and suppression of cell-mediated immunity, is believed to be important mechanisms of pathogenesis in this form of pneumoconiosis (1).