Protective immunity against mycobacterial infections such as Mycobacterium tuberculosis is mediated by interactions between specific T cells and activated macrophages. To date,many aspects of mycobacterial immunity have shown that innate cells are the key elements that substantially influence the subsequent adaptive host response. During the early phases of infection,phagocytic cells and innate lymphocyte subsets play a pivotal role. Here we summarize the findings of recent investigations on macrophages,dendritic cells and gammadelta T lymphocytes in the response to mycobacteria.