title: Human tuberculosis sera show prominent antibody responses to particulate fractions of Mycobacterium tuberculosis.
abstract: Sera from smear-positive pulmonary tuberculosis patients and normal control subjects in Madras were analyzed by Western blotting for their reactivity with soluble and particulate (membrane-rich and cell wall-rich) antigen fractions extracted by sonication from Mycobacterium tuberculosis H37Rv. Discrimination between patient and control sera was best with particulate antigen fractions: 60% of patient sera reacted with a 38-kD antigen band and 90% reacted with a 55-kD band. Reactions of control sera with the 38- and 55-kD bands were infrequent and faint. The results suggest that a serodiagnostic test might be based on quantitation of responses to these two antigens.
authors.affiliation: Department of Immunology, Tuberculosis Research Centre, Chetput, Madras, India.
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Das
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Narayanan
authors.forename: C N
authors.initials: CN
authors.lastname: Paramasivan
authors.forename: D B
authors.initials: DB
authors.lastname: Lowrie
authors.forename: P R
authors.initials: PR
authors.lastname: Narayanan
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000907:Antibodies, Bacterial / Q000032:analysis*; D015153:Blotting, Western; D006801:Humans; D008875:Middle Aged; D009169:Mycobacterium tuberculosis / Q000276:immunology*; D014397:Tuberculosis, Pulmonary / Q000097:blood* / Q000276:immunology
chemical_list: D000907:Antibodies, Bacterial