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Clinical and Diagnostic Laboratory Immunology, March 2002, p. 299-307, Vol. 9, No. 2
1071-412X/02/$04.00+0 DOI: 10.1128/CDLI.9.2.299-307.2002
Copyright © 2002, American Society for Microbiology. All Rights Reserved.
Comparative and Prospective Study of Different Immune Parameters in Healthy Subjects at Risk for Tuberculosis and in Tuberculosis Patients
Diana P. Portales-Pérez,1 Lourdes Baranda,2 Esther Layseca,2 Nora Alma Fierro,2 Hortensia de la Fuente,2 Yvonne Rosenstein,3 and Roberto González-Amaro2*Department of Immunology, Facultad de Ciencias Químicas,1 Department of Immunology, Facultad de Medicina, Universidad Autónoma de San Luis Potosí, San Luis Potosí, ,2 Instituto de Biotecnología, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Cuernavaca, Morelos, Mexico3
Received 21 May 2001/ Returned for modification 1 October 2001/ Accepted 8 November 2001
It has not been fully elucidated which of the components of the immune response against Mycobacterium tuberculosis is indicative of resistance or susceptibility. The aim of this study was to identify an immune parameter that could be indicative of either resistance or susceptibility to M. tuberculosis infection. We prospectively studied (three determinations, at months 0, 8, and 12) 15 patients with chronic pulmonary tuberculosis and 42 healthy individuals with a recent and frequent contact with tuberculosis patients. Peripheral blood mononuclear cells were stimulated with a whole-protein extract or the 30-kDa antigen of M. tuberculosis for 6 days, and several immune parameters were determined. No consistent differences between tuberculosis patients and healthy controls were detected in most immune parameters studied, including the expression of different activation antigens, cytokine secretion, lymphocyte proliferation, and nitric oxide production. However, the synthesis of tumor necrosis factor alpha, the intracellular detection of gamma interferon, and the apoptosis of monocytes under certain culture conditions tended to show clear-cut differences in cells from patients and controls (P < 0.05 in all cases for most determinations). Nevertheless, when results were analyzed on an individual basis, it was evident that a significant degree of overlapping of values from patients and controls occurred for all parameters studied. We conclude that although the immune parameters tested do not allow the identification of individuals susceptible to M. tuberculosis, the specificity and sensitivity of some of them could be improved through future studies.
* Corresponding author. Mailing address: Departamento de Inmunología, Facultad de Medicina, UASLP, Ave. V. Carranza 2405, 78210 San Luis Potosí, San Luis Potosí, Mexico. Phone and fax: (52-444) 8177706. E-mail: rgonzale{at}uaslp.mx.
Clinical and Diagnostic Laboratory Immunology, March 2002, p. 299-307, Vol. 9, No. 2
1071-412X/02/$04.00+0 DOI: 10.1128/CDLI.9.2.299-307.2002
Copyright © 2002, American Society for Microbiology. All Rights Reserved.
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