Detection of antibody to Mycobacterium tuberculosis protein antigens in the cerebrospinal fluid of patients with tuberculous meningitis.
Antibodies against Mycobacterium tuberculosis antigens were detected by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay in cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) samples obtained from 442 patients with tuberculous meningitis (TBM) and 102 control patients. Antibodies were found in the CSF of 87% of patients with clinical (culture-negative) TBM, 72% of patients with culture-positive TBM, and 65% of patients with autopsy-proven TBM. That anti-M. tuberculosis antibodies were detected in the CSF of patients with clinically diagnosed cases more frequently than in patients with culture-positive cases suggests that the detection of antibodies in CSF tends to decrease as bacillary load increases. Of the patients with clinical TBM who were coinfected with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), 70% exhibited anti-M. tuberculosis antibody in CSF, which suggests that antibody responses in this group were substantially weaker than those in HIV-negative patients with clinical TBM. Some groups showed a stronger response to certain antigens, which suggests that antigen recognition patterns may be specific for the stage of disease.
National Institute of Mental Health and Neurosciences, Bangalore, India.
Akepati
A
Chandramuki
Konstantin
K
Lyashchenko
Haradara Bahubali Veena
HB
Kumari
Neelam
N
Khanna
PierNatale
P
Brusasca
Mandavalli
M
Gourie-Devi
Parthasarathy
P
Satishchandra
Sursarla Krishna
SK
Shankar
Vasanthapuram
V
Ravi
Philip
P
Alcabes
Ganga Vishnu
GV
Kanaujia
Maria Laura
ML
Gennaro
D000907:Antibodies, Bacterial / Q000134:cerebrospinal fluid* / Q000276:immunology; D000914:Antibodies, Viral / Q000097:blood; D000942:Antigens, Bacterial / Q000276:immunology*; D004797:Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay / Q000379:methods; D006678:HIV / Q000276:immunology; D015658:HIV Infections / Q000097:blood / Q000150:complications / Q000276:immunology; D006801:Humans; D007194:India; D009169:Mycobacterium tuberculosis / Q000276:immunology*; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D014390:Tuberculosis, Meningeal / Q000134:cerebrospinal fluid* / Q000150:complications / Q000276:immunology
D000907:Antibodies, Bacterial; D000914:Antibodies, Viral; D000942:Antigens, Bacterial