Specific Mycobacterium tuberculosis T cell responses to RD1-selected peptides for the monitoring of anti-tuberculosis therapy.

Background: Recently, a selection of HLA class II-restricted epitopes of ESAT-6 and CFP-10 Mycobacterium tuberculosis proteins from the region of difference (RD) 1 have been described. We have evaluated the host interferon-gamma (IFN-γ) T cell response to these RD1 selected peptides at the beginning and during anti-tuberculosis therapy.

Methods: We studied 29 pulmonary TB patients enrolled at the beginning of treatment and 24 enrolled during treatment.

IFN-gamma-release assays to diagnose TB infection in the immunocompromised individual.

The tuberculin skin test (TST) is used for diagnosing latent TB infection (LTBI). The main limitation of TST is its low sensitivity in populations with the highest risk of progression to active TB: immunosuppressed patients and young children. New IFN-gamma-based tests appear as an alternative to the TST.

Quantitative evaluation of T-cell response after specific antigen stimulation in active and latent tuberculosis infection in adults and children.

We have evaluated the quantitative T-cell response after specific Mycobacterium tuberculosis antigen stimulation in active tuberculosis (TB) and latent TB infection (LTBI) patients. In adults, the median number of T cells after RD1 antigen stimulation was significantly higher in active TB patients than in LTBI patients. In children, the number of responder T cells against the specific antigens was higher in active TB than in LTBI patients, although the differences were not significant.

T-cell responses to the Mycobacterium tuberculosis-specific antigens in active tuberculosis patients at the beginning, during, and after antituberculosis treatment.

The objectives of the study were to assess the performance of the QuantiFERON-TB Gold In-Tube (QFN-G-IT) and the T-SPOT.TB tests in the immunodiagnosis of active tuberculosis (TB) in adult patients, and to study the T-cell interferon gamma (IFN-gamma) responses during treatment and in patients who have recovered after curative treatment and self-healed TB patients. When only analyzing patients included at the beginning of treatment, the sensitivity was 83.

Comparison of two commercially available gamma interferon blood tests for immunodiagnosis of tuberculosis.

We evaluated the T-SPOT.TB and Quantiferon-TB Gold In tube (QFN-G-IT) tests for diagnosing Mycobacterium tuberculosis infection. T-SPOT.