Tuberculosis and psoriasis: Is there a link between them?

Tuberculosis (TB) is a socially significant disease caused by Mycobacterium tuberculosis. Latent TB represents a state of continuous immune response to stimulation by M tuberculosis and its antigens without the clinical signs of TB. Biologic agents could trigger latent TB into active TB, which is the reason why psoriasis patients should be screened for latent TB before initiating biologic therapy. The data of the efficacy of rifampicin in severe psoriasis patients treated for their coexisting active TB, along with the data of psoriasis remission after rifampicin therapy in subjects with no active TB, raise the question of whether there is a link between psoriasis and TB. There is also a question of the efficacy of the date from rifampicin, when used for treating patients having severe psoriasis as well as coexisting active TB. Is there a link between psoriasis and TB?