Table 1.

Summary of Micronutrients Important for Immunity Against Tuberculosis

Name	Function	Supplementation for Childhood Tuberculosis
Vitamin D	Macrophage function, proper phagocytosis, lysosomal fusion	Radiological improvement, but no difference in serum levels or weight change [47]
Vitamin A	Regulates innate immunity, T and B lymphocyte function, and maintains mucosal epithelium	No improvement in weight or respiratory symptoms [46]
Vitamin E	Antioxidant properties that may reduce oxidative stress on T lymphocytes	When included in a multivitamin for children, did not improve weight gain [48]
Zinc	Widespread effect on immunity, and deficiency can lead to lymphopenia, poor lymphocyte functioning, thymic atrophy, impaired cell mediated immunity and shift to the Th2 response. Also, essential for metallo-enyzme formation and creation of free radicals	Improves tuberculin response, though no studies on treatment outcomes [44]
Selenium	Cell and humoral immunity, utilized in creation of metallo-enzymes	No known studies in children
Iron	Innate immunity such as neutrophil and natural killer function, T-cell maturation, and deficiency can result in shift toward Th2 response	No known studies in children