title: Numbers of IFN-gamma-producing cells against ESAT-6 increase in tuberculosis patients during chemotherapy.
abstract: ESAT-6 is a specific Mycobacterium tuberculosis complex antigen and strong inducer of interferon-gamma (IFN-gamma) production by T cells from tuberculosis patient T-cells. We studied the frequency of IFN-gamma producing cells reacting to ESAT-6 during anti-tuberculosis chemotherapy. The numbers of IFN-gamma producing cells in the peripheral blood were higher in tuberculosis patients after discharge from specific anti-tuberculosis chemotherapy, compared with untreated patients. These results indicate that monitoring specific M. tuberculosis antigen reactivity during anti-tuberculosis chemotherapy may avoid premature termination of treatment and resistant strains.
authors.affiliation: Max-Planck Institute for Infection Biology, Department of Immunology, Berlin, Germany.
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Ulrichs
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Anding
authors.forename: S H
authors.initials: SH
authors.lastname: Kaufmann
authors.forename: M E
authors.initials: ME
authors.lastname: Munk
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000942:Antigens, Bacterial / Q000276:immunology*; D001426:Bacterial Proteins; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D016903:Drug Monitoring; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007371:Interferon-gamma / Q000097:blood* / Q000187:drug effects*; D008297:Male; D013601:T-Lymphocytes / Q000378:metabolism; D014376:Tuberculosis / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000276:immunology
chemical_list: D000942:Antigens, Bacterial; D001426:Bacterial Proteins; C093276:ESAT-6 protein, Mycobacterium tuberculosis; D007371:Interferon-gamma