Gonorrhoea on the rise in Denmark since 2022: distinct clones drive increase in heterosexual individuals.

A surge in gonorrhoea in Denmark has occurred since 2022, a 46% increase from 2021. National surveillance, leveraging mandatory reporting and epidemiological data, highlights three distinct clades linked to heterosexual transmission. Despite the rise, these exhibit high susceptibility, contrasting MSM-associated strains.

Human B cells produce chemokine CXCL10 in the presence of Mycobacterium tuberculosis specific T cells.

Background: The role of B cells in human host response to Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb) infection is still controversial, but recent evidence suggest that B cell follicle like structures within the lung may influence host responses through regulation of the local cytokine environment. A candidate for such regulation could be the chemokine CXCL10. CXCL10 is mainly produced by human monocytes, but a few reports have also found CXCL10 production by human B cells.

[Comparison of QuantiFERON and tuberculin skin test in possible suspected tuberculosis infection].

Introduction: Two cases of tuberculosis were diagnosed at a high school. A contact investigation using Mantoux test (TST) and QuantiFERON TB in Tube test (QFT) was conducted in order to compare QFT with TST.

Methods: A total of 787 individuals were invited to participate, of whom 734 had a TST applied and 490 a QFT test done.

[First Danish case of Clostridium difficile ribotype 027].

Increasing rates of Clostridium difficile-associated diarrhoea (CDAD) with an unusual, severe course have been reported in Canada, USA and several European countries since 2003. A new virulent strain, PCR ribotype 027 (CD027), is associated with this increase. We report the first Danish case of CDAD caused by CD027.

Identification of Rv0222 from RD4 as a novel serodiagnostic target for tuberculosis.

Forty-seven Mycobacterium tuberculosis genes from the 'regions of difference' RD2-7, RD9-13 and RD15 were cloned and expressed, and the purified recombinant proteins were screened for their serodiagnostic potential. Evaluation of six selected proteins in serum samples from Danish resident tuberculosis patients and healthy controls led to identification of Rv0222 as the most promising serodiagnostic antigen. Recognition of the Rv0222 was compared with the 38 kDa protein and a fusion protein of the RD1 proteins ESAT-6 and CFP10 in a serum panel from pulmonary tuberculosis (TB) patients from Uganda.

Risk for tuberculosis among children.

Contacts of adults with tuberculosis (TB) are at risk for infection. Tests based on interferon-gamma (IFN-gamma) expression in response to Mycobacterium tuberculosis antigens may be more sensitive than the tuberculin skin test (TST). Risk for infection was assessed by using TST and an IFN-y-based assay (QuantiFERON Gold in Tube [QFT-IT] test) for 207 children in Nigeria in 1 of 3 groups: contact with adults with smear-positive TB, contact with adults with smear-negative TB, and controls.

Latent tuberculosis in HIV positive, diagnosed by the M. tuberculosis specific interferon-gamma test.

Background: Although tuberculosis (TB) is a minor problem in Denmark, severe and complicated cases occur in HIV positive. Since the new M. tuberculosis specific test for latent TB, the QuantiFERON-TB In-Tube test (QFT-IT) became available the patients in our clinic have been screened for the presence of latent TB using the QFT-IT test.

Specific T-cell epitopes for immunoassay-based diagnosis of Mycobacterium tuberculosis infection.

The currently used method for immunological detection of tuberculosis infection, the tuberculin skin test, has low specificity. Antigens specific for Mycobacterium tuberculosis to replace purified protein derivative are therefore urgently needed. We have performed a rigorous assessment of the diagnostic potential of four recently identified antigens (Rv2653, Rv2654, Rv3873, and Rv3878) from genomic regions that are lacking from the Mycobacterium bovis bacillus Calmette-Guérin (BCG) vaccine strains as well as from the most common nontuberculous mycobacteria.

Healthy individuals that control a latent infection with Mycobacterium tuberculosis express high levels of Th1 cytokines and the IL-4 antagonist IL-4delta2.

The majority of healthy individuals exposed to Mycobacterium tuberculosis will not develop disease and identifying what constitutes "protective immunity" is one of the holy grails of M. tuberculosis immunology. It is known that IFN-gamma is essential for protection, but it is also apparent that IFN-gamma levels alone do not explain the immunity/susceptibility dichotomy.

Comparison of tuberculin skin test and new specific blood test in tuberculosis contacts.

The tuberculin skin test used to detect latent Mycobacterium tuberculosis infection has many drawbacks, and a new diagnostic test for latent tuberculosis (QuantiFERON-TB [QTF-TB]) has recently been introduced. This test measures the production of IFN-gamma in whole blood upon stimulation with purified protein derivative (PPD). The QTF-TB test addresses the operational problems with the tuberculin skin test, but, as the test is based on PPD, it still has a low specificity in populations vaccinated with the Bacille Calmette-Guérin (BCG) vaccine.

Mapping immune reactivity toward Rv2653 and Rv2654: two novel low-molecular-mass antigens found specifically in the Mycobacterium tuberculosis complex.

New tools are urgently needed for the detection of latent tuberculosis (TB). We evaluated the diagnostic potential of 2 novel Mycobacterium tuberculosis complex-specific candidate antigens (Rv2653 and Rv2654) and investigated T cell recognition during natural infection in humans and experimental infection in guinea pigs. Peripheral blood mononuclear cells stimulated with peptide pools covering the full length of Rv2654 induced interferon- gamma release in 10 of 19 patients with TB.

Human T-cell responses to the RD1-encoded protein TB27.4 (Rv3878) from Mycobacterium tuberculosis.

In recent years, there has been considerable focus on the discovery and characterization of proteins derived from Mycobacterium tuberculosis leading to the identification of a number of candidate antigens for use in vaccine development or for diagnostic purposes. Previous experiments have demonstrated an important immunological role for proteins encoded by the RD1 region, which is absent from all strains of bacillus Calmette-Guérin (BCG) but present in the genomes of virulent M. bovis and M.

PPE protein (Rv3873) from DNA segment RD1 of Mycobacterium tuberculosis: strong recognition of both specific T-cell epitopes and epitopes conserved within the PPE family.

Proteins encoded by DNA segment RD1 of Mycobacterium tuberculosis have recently been demonstrated to play important roles in bacterial virulence, vaccine development, and diagnostic reagent design. Previously, we characterized two immunodominant T-cell antigens, the early secreted antigen target (ESAT-6) and the 10-kDa culture filtrate protein (CFP10), which are encoded by the esx-lhp operon in this region. In the present study we characterized a third putative open reading frame in this region, rv3873, which encodes a PPE protein.

Epitope mapping of the immunodominant antigen TB10.4 and the two homologous proteins TB10.3 and TB12.9, which constitute a subfamily of the esat-6 gene family.

The human T-cell recognition of the low-molecular-mass culture filtrate antigen TB10.4 was evaluated in detail. The molecule was strongly recognized by T cells isolated from tuberculosis (TB) patients and from BCG-vaccinated donors.