High Lethality of <i>Mycobacterium tuberculosis</i> Infection in Mice Lacking the Phagocyte Oxidase and Caspase1/11

mice rapidly progressed to severe TB, succumbing within 4 weeks to disease characterized by high bacterial burden, increased inflammatory cytokines, and the recruitment of granulocytes that associated with Mtb in the lungs. These results uncover a key genetic interaction between the phagocyte oxidase complex and Caspase1/11 that controls protection against TB and highlight the need for a better understanding of the regulation of fundamental immune networks during Mtb infection.