OBJECTIVES To investigate whether mycobacterial antigen-induced cytokine secretions are helpful in detecting Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb) infection in a cohort of HIV-infected patients living in a country with a high burden of Mtb and HIV infections, and to determine their predictive value for the development of tuberculosis (TB)-associated immune reconstitution inflammatory syndrome. DES...

Despite its relatively poor efficacy, Bacillus Calmette-Guérin (BCG) has been used as a tuberculosis (TB) vaccine since its development in 1921. BCG induces robust T helper 1 (Th1) immune responses but, for many individuals, this is not sufficient for host resistance against Mycobacterium tuberculosis (M. tb) infection. Here we provide evidence that early secreted antigenic target protein 6 (ES...

QuantiFERON-TB (QIFN) (CSL Limited) is a whole-blood assay for the recognition of infection with Mycobacterium tuberculosis. QIFN measures gamma interferon (IFN-gamma) production when purified protein derivatives (PPDs) of mycobacteria are incubated with venous blood samples. The specificity of QIFN in medical students before and after BCG immunization was assessed, and sensitivity in patients ...

Presence of early secretory antigenic target-6 (ESAT-6)-specific, interferon- gamma -secreting T cells in blood accurately marks tuberculosis infection. In tuberculous pleural effusions from 10 patients with tuberculosis, these cells were concentrated a mean of 15-fold (standard deviation, +/-6-fold), relative to their level in peripheral blood (P=.014), and displayed rapid effector function. S...

BACKGROUND The diagnosis of extra-pulmonary tuberculosis (EPTB) by conventional methods such as culture and microscopy has low sensitivity and requires an invasive procedure. A simple rapid serological test would be of great value. METHODS Six antigens (ESAT-6, Ag85A, TB10.4, Rv3881c, lipoarabinomannan (LAM) and Ara6-BSA) were tested in an ELISA to detect antigen specific IgG and IgM antibodi...

Bovine tuberculosis is an important infectious disease caused by Mycobacterium bovis, which is responsible for considerable economic losses. This disease constitutes a serious public health problem. Control programs in most countries, including Brazil, are based on the identification and slaughter of infected animals, as defined by the skin tuberculin test, which has its constraints. In the pre...

Human T cell responses to ESAT-6 and eight synthetic overlapping peptides were investigated in tuberculosis (TB) patients and control subjects from regions of high and low endemicity for TB. ESAT-6 was recognized by 65% of all tuberculin purified protein derivative-responsive TB patients, whereas only 2 of 29 bacille Calmette-Guérin-vaccinated Danish healthy donors recognized this molecule. In ...

Tuberculosis remains a major health problem throughout the world causing large number of deaths. Effective disease control and eradication programs require the identification of major antigens recognized by the protective responses against M. tuberculosis. In this study, we have investigated humoral and cellular immune responses to M. tuberculosis-specific Ag85A, Ag85B, and ESAT-6 antigens in B...

To meet the global needs of tuberculosis (TB) control, a nanoELIwell device was developed as a multifunctional assay for TB diagnosis and drug susceptibility testing. The device integrates on-chip culturing of mycobacteria, immunoassay, and high-resolution fluorescent imaging. Mycobacterium smegmatis and Mycobacterium kansasii were used as models of Mycobacterium tuberculosis to evaluate device...