Candidate antigens for improved serodiagnosis of tuberculosis.
OBJECTIVE
To explore the possibility that an analysis of antibody specificity to separated components of mycobacteria in a group of tuberculous patients may reveal a combination of target antigens whose antibodies could form the basis of a useful serodiagnostic test.


METHODS
Immunoblots of 1-dimensional (SDS-PAGE) and 2-dimensional (isoelectric focusing/SDS-PAGE) separation of antigenic extracts of Mycobacterium tuberculosis H37Rv (MTSE) and M. bovis bacille Calmette-Guérin (BCG) (MBSE) with 52 tuberculous and 59 BCG-vaccinated control human sera were analyzed for band and spot reactivity patterns that are indicative of infection with M. tuberculosis.


RESULTS
Reactivity to antigens banding in the 10-18 kDa, 37-43 kDa and 70-90 kDa regions allowed a good discrimination between patients and normal subjects. Patients' sera reacting with antigens in the 22-30 and 70-88 kDa regions differentiated responses to MTSE and MBSE. In 2-D immunoblotting, patients' sera only reacted with antigens separating at approximately pI 6.5/26-28 kDa, pI 4.8/38 kDa and pI 6.5/70-79 kDa position and the responses were specific for M. tuberculosis (MTSE).


CONCLUSIONS
These results provide evidence that a combination of these M. tuberculosis antigens may be a useful basis for developing a diagnostic antibody test. Additionally, they may help to define antigens, and host antibody responses that are specific to one but not the other of the two closely related species.
Bassey
E O
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Department of Immunology, University of Birmingham, UK.
Catty
D
D
Kumararatne
D S
DS
Raykundalia
C
C
D000907:Antibodies, Bacterial / Q000097:blood; D000918:Antibody Specificity; D000942:Antigens, Bacterial / Q000276:immunology*; D015153:Blotting, Western; D015180:Electrophoresis, Gel, Two-Dimensional; D004591:Electrophoresis, Polyacrylamide Gel; D006801:Humans; D007106:Immune Sera / Q000276:immunology; D015151:Immunoblotting; D007525:Isoelectric Focusing; D009163:Mycobacterium bovis / Q000276:immunology; D009169:Mycobacterium tuberculosis / Q000276:immunology*; D014376:Tuberculosis / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000276:immunology
D000907:Antibodies, Bacterial; D000942:Antigens, Bacterial; D007106:Immune Sera