A real-time PCR assay for the measurement of gamma interferon (IFN-gamma) mRNA in European badger (Meles meles) blood cultures was developed. The levels of IFN-gamma mRNA in blood cultures stimulated with either bovine or avian tuberculin or specific mycobacterial antigens were compared with those in a nonstimulated control blood culture as the basis for determining the tuberculosis (TB) status...

this hypothesis would need to be tested in a prospective trial. How long had nifedipine been discontinued in the authors' patient prior to repeat cardiac catheterization? How long has the patient's exercise tolerance remained dramatically improved since the discontinuation of vasodilators?

One hundred and two patients with inoperable bronchial carcinoma who had tuberculin tests at the time of diagnosis were followed up to see if there was any correlation between their degree of tuberculin reactivity and their subsequent survival time. There was a significant difference in survival between positive and negative tuberculin reactors (Log Rank Test P less than 0.05), the former havin...

INTRODUCTION Rheumatoid arthritis patients under treatment with anti-TNF-α are at a high risk of developing active tuberculosis, and therefore, screening for latent tuberculosis infection is recommended before anti-TNF-α therapy. OBJECTIVE To compare the tuberculin test and IFNγ production induced by culture filtrate proteins(CFPs) and Mycobacterium tuberculosis-specific CFP-10 antigens in rh...

Our conclusions differ in a few points from those of our first work on this subject. We are able to sum up our observations in this series of experiments as follows: 1. The ophthalmo-tuberculin test is of limited value in the diagnosis of tuberculosis in cattle. In some cases the reaction is very slight (hyperaemia). In others more pronounced congestion with profuse exudates are noted. Accuracy...

The tuberculin skin test is the method of choice for tuberculosis surveillance in livestock ruminants. The exact definition of the biological activity of bovine tuberculin purified protein derivatives (bovine tuberculin PPDs) is essential for the reliability of a test system. PPDs consist of heterogeneous mixtures of mycobacterial antigens, making it difficult to determine their potency in vitr...

It is a sad state of affairs when international efforts to control the number-one infectious killer worldwide must rely heavily on a suboptimal diagnostic test developed over 100 years ago and improved upon minimally in the subsequent century. In this month's Journal, Dr. Rangel-Frausto and colleagues add to accumulating evidence reinforcing the pressing need to develop a workable alternative t...

BACKGROUND We analyse whether the tuberculin skin test is a good survival marker in a cohort of pulmonary tuberculosis patients with HIV infection (PTB/HIV). In all, 494 PTB/HIV patients were enrolled in Barcelona (Spain) between January 1992 and December 1994 in the Tuberculosis Program of Barcelona. The main data problem was the large proportion of missing values in the covariates percentage ...

The aim of the present study was to compare the direct costs of three models for detection of latent tuberculosis infection (LTBI) in routine clinical practice in Switzerland. Comparison of the overall costs of screening for LTBI, including medical and radiological examination, and preventive treatment associated with three screening models was carried out. Model 1 relies only on the tuberculin...