Differential B-cell responses are induced by Mycobacterium tuberculosis PE antigens Rv1169c, Rv0978c, and Rv1818c.

The multigene PE and PPE family represents about 10% of the genome of Mycobacterium tuberculosis. Here, we report that three members of the PE family, namely, Rv1169c, Rv0978c, and Rv1818c, elicit a strong, but differential, B-cell humoral response among different clinical categories of tuberculosis patients. The study population (n = 211) was comprised of different clinical groups of both adult and child patients: group 1 (n = 94) patients with pulmonary infection, group 2 (n = 30) patients with relapsed infection, group 3 (n = 31) patients with extrapulmonary infections, and clinically healthy donors (n = 56).